Alex Potter, New Student?
by The Whomping Pillow
Summary: Harry always thought that he had no family left. But he was wrong. For 13 years, a familiar girl worked as a slave in a Death Eater home. But what happens when she breaks out and finds her last remaining family member, but lies to keep him safe? Rated T for violence. Cover isn't mine.
1. A Family

**Hello there! This is my very first story, and I'm kinda nervous about it. I realize that this topic for Harry Potter is kinda overused, but this is a story I've had in my head for nearly a year now. I just now learned about this website, so I finally decided to get it out of my system. I'd appreciate any reviews, good or bad, so if you want to flame, go ahead. I'm not the greatest writer, so any ideas would be very greatly welcomed. I hope you like it, so here's the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter. In this story, I only own Alex. **

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It all started on a fine Halloween evening. There was a soft breeze whispering through the dry, rattling leaves. Children were running playfully after each other. They were all in costume, so the dark, hooded figure blended in much more than any other day. Still, he seemed, _different, _almost, than those around him. Rather than being social and merry with others, he walked alone. It was obvious he had a specific purpose. That purpose could be found at Number 5, Godric's Hollow.

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In that very house lived the Potters. To any other's on the outside, they looked sweet, happy, and carefree. The mother, Lily, was a sight any man would not soon forget. Her pale, delicate skin matching very nicely with her long, sleek, dark red hair. But her most distinctive feature was her entrancing green eyes. One look at them and any person could instantly get lost. To people who knew her well enough, it was an obvious sign to back off for her of her anger if the left one started twitching.

Lily's beauty could be matched by that of her husband. He had a sort of easy going, casual yet debonair manner to him. His hair, although not as nice as Lily's, was a handsome raven. It had the permanent appearance of a man who just got off his broomstick. This wasn't helped by his (annoying, as some people say) habit of messing it up every two minutes. The kindest feature he had were his eyes. A warm, inviting hazel, they made it hard for anyone not to trust him. These were magnified by large, circular glasses that made him very distinct.

Lily and James had been blessed with beautiful twins. The boy, Harry, took after his father. His untidy black hair refusing to lay flat on his head. But his eyes, they were exactly the same color and shape as those of his mother. Their daughter, Alex, had a quite different look to her. On her head were gorgeous locks of dark red, not a single strand daring to get out of place. Her warm appearance was complimented with the same hazel eyes that resided on her father. Of course, taking after her mother, whenever her brother displeased her, the left one would twitch ever so slightly.

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This family seemed as normal as any other. Sadly, that was not to last. For although they seemed happy on the outside, they were truthfully very scared on the inside. A man by the name of Lord Voldemort was said to be coming after them. They were currently hiding from him. Little did they know that the friend who was supposed to be keeping them safe, the friend they gave their lives to, betray their trust. The spell that was cast to protect them was broken. Voldemort was on his way.

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The hooded figure made his way down the street. He watched as the many children ran past, comparing how much candy they had received. He never liked children. His hand, hidden inside his pocket, itched to draw out his wand. One simple spell and he would not have to put up with their screeching.

'No,' he thought to himself. 'Let them have their fun. I have another purpose, and they must not be alerted of my presence too early.'

And so he continued. Slowly, purposefully, ready to bring the Potters to their fate.

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**Soo, there it is. My very first chapter. Hope you liked it, and if you didn't, tell me what I can change. I'm trying to think of a good way to do Chapter 2, but it can't take me very long to get it up. So until then, review!**


	2. Torn Apart

**I swear a miracle has happened! dancer4813, you made my day! And to anyone else who's reading, thank you so much! I figured nobody would read it at all. I swear I could hug you all. Ah, what the heck. *Virtual hug* Thanks, and enjoy Chapter two!  
**

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"James," Lily called.

"What?" James looked up at his wife from his position on the floor. He had been using his wand to make colored smoke for the twins' entertainment. They were both giggling happily on the floor, trying to catch the smoke with their hands.

"It's time to get them ready for bed." Lily reached down and scooped up Harry, who tried to squirm away, still trying to catch the smoke. James followed suit and picked up Alex. Together they walked into a back room, where the twins' pajamas were.

Husband and wife shared a happy moment as they tried to get the wriggly children dressed. After completing this difficult task, they sat back down in the living room together. Harry and Alex started playing on the floor, as Lily leaned onto James. She sighed contentedly, thinking to herself that nothing could take away this wonderful evening.

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After sitting there for a few minutes, James thought he heard something outside. He stood up without warning, startling Lily out of her sentimental thoughts. James pulled aside the curtain. He peered out the window, straining to see something, anything, out in the growing darkness.

"…James?" Lily asked cautiously. "D-do you see anything?"

"No," he replied, though still looking shaken. "Must've been a cat or something." But he still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. He looked outside one last time, but saw the same thing as last time. Nothing.

"Well," Lily said brusquely, trying to relieve the tension, "It's time for the kids to go to bed." She leaned over and smiled at Alex, who looked up at her mother and returned the smile. Then Lily took one youngster in each arm and headed for the stairs. She was just stepping onto the first stair when a sudden noise caused her to almost drop the twins.

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"LILY! LILY IT'S HIM! TAKE THE KIDS AND GO! I'LL HOLD HIM OFF!" Frightened, Lily ran upstairs, still not entirely comprehending what was happening.

James saw his wife run away with the twins. He then turned around to face his attacker. A moment too late he realized he left his wand on the couch, and was now to far away to retrieve it in time. Closing his eyes, he thought of Lily, and how much he loved her. He mentally apologized for not being able to love her longer. Hearing a high, cold voice start to speak, his eyes opened just in time to see a flash of green light. He heard the mirthless laugh, and then there was nothing.

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Lord Voldemort watched as James Potter fell like a puppet whose strings were cut. He stepped over the body, not noticing the horrified look on his victim's face. He felt no mercy. At first killing people was difficult, almost painful. But he soon learned how truly annoying people were. He now felt almost glee at killing, especially those who were sided with his worst enemy, the only man he had ever feared.

He climbed the stairs, his excitement mounting with each step. Voldemort could hear her screams echoing from the room. 'Foolish girl,' he thought. 'You think barricading yourself into a room will save your life? You think such Muggle-worthy things can keep _me _out?' With that he reached raised his wand and unlocked the door. Pushing on it, he discovered she really had pushed furniture up against it, in the hopes it would keep him from reaching her and her children. Raising his wand yet again, the Dark Lord gave it an almost lazy flick. Instantly the pressure on the other side of the door vanished. He turned the handle, ready to finish the job he had come to do.

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Lily had her back turned to the door. She was facing her children, her babies, talking to them in a sweet, soothing voice.

"Don't worry. You'll be okay. Just be safe, Harry. Be strong, Alex."

The door creaked open behind her. She whirled around to face the hooded figure before her. Almost subconsciously, Lily threw her arms out, hoping to protect the last of her family. Tears in her eyes, she begged for him to leave them alone.

"Please! Have mercy! Not Harry, not Alex! Please! Take me instead, just leave them alone!"

"Stand aside, foolish girl!" Voldemort snarled.

"NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

Finally sick of her begging, Voldemort raised his wand, and again spoke in his high, cold voice. She screamed as she fell, hitting the ground just as hard as her husband and many others before her. He laughed, finally able to finish the job he started. Looking at the two children in the cribs, he decided to kill the girl as well, although it wasn't necessary. Might as well kill the entire Potter clan, since their parents were dead anyway.

He turned to her, wand raised. The girl stared back at him fearlessly. Perhaps she thought he was James, making more pretty lights. The girl probably believed her mother would pop back up at any moment laughing her sweet laugh. He looked into her hazel eyes, almost entranced by their beauty. The Dark Lord's wand fell just a fraction, before he realized what was happened. It instantly went back to her face. He smiled cruelly, then opened his mouth.

"Avada Kedavra."

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It all happened so fast, yet it seemed to be in slow motion. The spell hit the girl, but instead of her falling over dead, it just bounced off of her forehead, and went across the room, hitting her brother. It hit him on the forehead as well, but again did nothing. It rebounded, and just as Lord Voldemort realized where its next target was, it was too late. It hit him, and he felt agony like he had never encountered. Wounded, powerless, he fled, knowing his steps to immortality had saved him, but at a cost.

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**Chapter two done! I'm amazed I finished that fast. Anyway, I'll get Chapter three sometime tomorrow, that being 7/20/12. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and remember, if you have any ideas or feedback, review!**


	3. Kidnapped

**Okay, so, I thought the horizontal lines would work as breaklines, but I guess not, so I'll put in something to make it more obvious. Reviews still appreciated, and ideas are welcome. And now, chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter. I can't see why JK Rowling won't give it up!  
**

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The house was empty. Parents dead, Alex and Harry were stranded. When the curse rebounded, it demolished the top story of the house. Harry and Alex both fell through, but managed not to sustain any injuries. Harry, not sure of what was going on, sat down and started crying. Alex, on the other hand, felt that nothing was wrong, so she lay down next to her mother and fell asleep.

Soon, a man came in. He had long black hair, and a handsome face. He looked around, hoping what he saw wasn't true. Distraught, he fell next to his best friend, trying to get him to wake up.

"James! _James! _Wake up! Please, wake up! PLEASE!"

"Sirius." Sirius didn't hear the soft voice behind him at first. "Sirius!" The voice grew louder.

Sirius turned around to see the hulking figure of a twelve-foot man.

"He's gone, Sirius."

"NO! NO HE CAN'T BE!"

"Not James. You-Know-Who. Li'l Harry killed him." Sirius turned around suddenly at those words.

"So, Lily and Alex, they're-they're gone too?" Hagrid nodded sadly. He had no intention of going near the bodies, so he hadn't seen that Alex was still breathing.

"Give him here, Hagrid."

"What!" Hagrid subconsciously held Harry closer.

"I'm his godfather, Hagrid. I'll take care of him."

"I'm sorry, Sirius, but this is Dumbledore's orders." Sirius sighed. Of course Dumbledore had plans for the child.

"Take my motorcycle. I won't be needing it anymore." With that, Sirius took one last look at James, then walked away from his best friend forever.

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A woman came sneaking into the house just after Hagrid left. She had an evil appearance on first sight. Her sneaky eyes with a heavy lid were a dead giveaway. Anyone could see she had no good intentions. In fact, although she may have been trying to see if the Potters were still alive, she was actually looking for Voldemort.

Although he was a dark wizard, he had many followers. But his inside group, his most loyal, were called Death Eaters. This woman was one of them. She was one of his most loyal, too. No matter what happened, she was always by his side, and would never renounce her following of the Dark Lord. Everyone in the Wizarding world who had heard of Voldemort had also heard of Bellatrix Letstrange.

She crept through the house, hoping to find her master. But to no avail, he was nowhere to be found. Instead, she heard, crying! Instantly going to the noise, she found Alex sitting up and very much alive. Bellatrix's eyes grew wide, when she realized that somehow, this infant had killed her master. She stooped and picked up the child. Making sure nobody was near, she ran off, taking Alex with her.

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There came a knock on the door of Malfoy Manor. Lucius Malfoy sighed. He had finally gotten some rest after a long day, he was in no mood to entertain a guest.

"Dobby!" he called. "Answer the door and send the visitor away."

"Yes, master," squeaked an almost invisible elf, and he bowed low.

Going to the door, he opened it to reveal Bellatrix, still holding Alex.

"Master Malfoy says that-" He was cut off by her barging through the doorway.

"Lucius!" Bellatrix said breathlessly. "Look! It's the Potter girl! She survived!" Lucius was instantly on his feet.

Running up to his sister-in-law, he pulled back Alex's bangs to reveal her scar.

"My my. It seems she has. And the Dark Lord?"

"No trace of him. But I will go look immediately. But for now, what do we do with the girl?" Lucius pondered this for a moment before replying.

"We keep her here and raise her as a slave. And she cannot be told her last name is Potter. We will think of something else."

With that, he took the girl from Bellatrix, who walked swiftly out the door. She was going out with the intention of finding her master. Little did she know that she would soon be landed in Azkaban for torturing an Auror and his wife to insanity with the Cruciatus Curse.

Lucius watched her go, then turned around and called for his wife. She came in holding their son, Draco. He told her what had happened, and then sent the house-elf to go set up a room for her. Smiling to himself, he knew that if the Dark Lord ever returned, he would have the ultimate gift for him.

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**I want to apologize for this chapter. I had a sort of writer's block, and it's not a great one. Also, it required a lot of dialogue, which I'm no good at. Anyway, I hope you liked it okay, and the next one should be more interesting. Review!**


	4. The Power Within

**Well, I thought I was going to wait a few days to write another chapter, but since I'm kinda on a roll right now, might as well write one more. Anyway, I want to thank you guys just for reading this. It makes my day every time I see more people have read it. I have a question, and I want it answered by as many people as possible. Should I make this all one big story, or cut it off halfway through Harry's time at Hogwarts and write a second story? Let me know, and I'll decide depending on how many people go for each. Anyway, here's Chapter four!**

**Disclaimer: Still working on not having to put the disclaimer anymore. I wish I owned Harry Potter, but don't. :'(  
**

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After 10 years, not much had changed. Except for that fact that the two young children who were once part of a happy family were now torn apart into two different-yet-the-same settings. On one had, there was Harry. He had been deposited on the doorstep of his aunt and uncle's house. He had grown up not knowing magic existed, or that he had a sister at all. Uncle Vernon had told him that his parents died in a car crash, and nothing more was said on the matter. He slept in a cupboard under the stairs, with very little things to call his own. Always second best to his cousin Dudley, Harry was neglected, but at least had family.

Alex had grown up in a completely different setting. She was surrounded by magic. Unfortunately, she was told that she was a Squib, or someone with magical parents but possessed no powers. The Malfoys had been up front and told her that her parents had been murdered. She was also told about her brother, but she knew he had no idea she existed. As soon as she was old enough, Alex was treated like a house elf. She cooked, cleaned, and by all means was forced to wait on the family hand and foot. Her meals were whatever was left over after the family had eaten, and she slept in the basement with a single blanket and a pillow.

As is known in the Wizarding world, a child with powers usually started to reveal said powers around the age of seven. Therefore, when Harry and Alex both failed to show potential, the families they were raised with were quite relieved. Both had similar beliefs that they could stomp the magic out of them. In fact, the Malfoys got slightly less harsh on Alex, thinking that now that she was older, they had no need to be so cruel. Oh boy were they wrong.

As a sign of magic, usually something unexplainable happens when a child feels strong emotion. Such as a window magically disappearing when feeling anger, as happened to Harry. Alex's first encounter with it was slightly more comical. See, Draco had come to treat her almost the way an older brother would treat his younger sister. He teased her, stole things from her, and right out infuriated her. When he first showed magic, he made a pot of soup fall on the house elf. His parents were very pleased. Alex, on the other hand, had been having a shouting match in the hallway with Draco, when all of a sudden there was a large creak,a loud boom, and the floor under Draco exploded slightly.

Frozen with shock, Alex stood there, not sure what to do. Draco looked at her fearfully. He got up, yelling for his mother. Already alerted by the noise, Narcissa came barging in. Infuriated by what she saw, she smacked Alex across the face, and locked her in the basement. Lucius heard the commotion and came to see what was the matter. He walked in to see a shell-shocked Draco and a fuming Narcissa. After calming his wife down, he let Alex out of the basement, and attempted to explain.

"Well, uh, you see Alex, we, uh, we..." he stuttered, trying to think of what to say.

"You what? Didn't know I was a witch? Didn't _want _me to know I was a witch? Wanted to keep me hidden away from the world forever?"

"You insolent brat! How dare you question us!" He slapped her across the face, but she refused to back down.

"Why didn't you tell me? You knew! I can see it in your faces!" The look on her face dared them to say otherwise.

"Fine, we knew. Happy? I guess there's no getting around it now." He turned to Narcissa. "I'm afraid we have no choice. We can't send her to Hogwarts. We'll have to get her a wand and teach her ourselves." As dejected as his wife was at this, she knew he was right. Therefore, just after Alex's eleventh birthday, she decided to take her to Diagon Alley.

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**So, there's the new chapter! Ever since I got the idea to have Alex taken in by the Malfoys, I knew I was going to have to make something blow up on Draco. :) I loved writing that. I apologize to anyone who likes Draco and didn't like that part. In the meantime, review! **


	5. Diagon Alley

**Hey! I have a bad migraine, but I really wanted to get this done, so I apologize if I rambled at all. Also, I want to thank everybody who has reviewed so far, I really appreciate it. I realize I didn't go much into what the Wizarding World knows about Alex, so I tried to include that here. Also, I really need you guys to tell me something. After I finish this story, should I rewrite it, but more on Harry's side? I'm not sure yet, so I could use the feedback. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and I hope to hear from you!**

**Disclaimer: I give up. I'm never gonna own Harry Potter, unless I have a kid that I name Harry Potter. I'll just settle with owning Alex.  
**

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Alex was excited. No, scratch that, she was ecstatic! For the first time she could ever remember, she was leaving Malfoy Manor!This was something that she had dreamed about for the longest time. Now, she was only leaving for a quick trip to Diagon Alley. Not too much to get worked up about, but for Alex, this was the adventure of a lifetime!

On the chosen date, Alex was ready to go far before Narcissa and Draco. To save time, Narcissa had decided to just have Alex tag along to get her wand while they picked up Draco's school things. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Alex kept stealing glances at the clock. 'What was taking them so long?' she wondered. To pass the time, she started imagining what Diagon Alley would look like. Would it be crowded? What kind of shops would be there? Would anybody notice her?

She paused at that last. To be honest, she was never told what the Wizarding world knew of her. Was she famous for having survived the curse? Or did anybody even care? She knew that the man who had murdered her parents was considered the most dark of Dark wizards. She must have been mentioned in at least some story of it.

What Alex didn't know was that only a select few people knew of her existence in the first place. There were her parents, obviously, and their close friends. But besides that, only Albus Dumbledore and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix knew about her. For some strange reason, Dumbledore had asked the Potters to keep her away from public. She was rarely taken outside of the house, and even then only when necessary. In every telling of the story, it was only Harry and their parents, no mention of a twin sister. Only the Order of the Phoenix knew of Alex, but she was believed to be dead, unlike her brother.***

Her brother. That was the one topic that drew Alex in the most. All she knew was his name. Harry Potter. Not what he looked like, where he lived, or even if he knew she existed. She hoped he did, but doubted it. Alex wondered if he would be in Diagon Alley. It would be amazing to meet him after all these years. Maybe they would make eye contact, and they would both just _know._

Alex was dragged out of her thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Narcissa and Draco were there, ready to go. Slowly, the look of hard concentration that had developed on her face dissolved into a slight smile. She was leaving! Her first- and as far as she knew, her last- taste of freedom.

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Whoa. That was the first thing that crossed Alex's mind when she stepped into Diagon Alley. She stopped, drinking in all the amazing sights. Narcissa saw this and immediately had a firm grip on Alex's arm, dragging her forward. She snapped back to her senses and started walking again. Narcissa did not relinquish her hold. Alex sighed, knowing this could be a long day. She was being forced to wear her hair up with a scarf tied over it. The scarf also covered her forehead, and the scar that resided there. Narcissa said that "she didn't want to draw attention to them, nor have anyone think they were associated with a Weasley." Alex wondered what a Weasley was, and why is was so bad.

Keeping her head down like she was instructed, Alex raised her eyes to see where they were going. By the looks of it, they were headed for a shop called "Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions". Alex figured it was for Draco's school clothes. She wondered why it was customary for wizards to wear robes. She had never really given it a second thought until now.

Once the little group reached the shop, Narcissa handed Alex a book and told her to read it outside. Alex could tell this was just a way to keep her busy, but she allowed it. It was better than watching Draco play dress-up anyway. The book was titled "The Tales of Beetle the Bard."* She giggled, realizing it was the same book she had swiped from Draco's room when she was eight. Sitting down on a bench nearby, she delved into the world of Wizarding fairy tales.

Alex was so captivated by the book, she hadn't noticed anyone walking by. Until a pair of _gigantic_ feet walked up right next to her. She looked up, startled. Before her was the largest man she had ever seen. Towing at least twelve feet off the ground, he had a wild beard and long hair that added up to a most frightening aura. Of course, it softened slightly when she saw that he was holding two large ice cream cones. He smiled at her, offered a quick "'lo," and walked over to stand by the window of the robe shop.

Glancing after him, she saw Narcissa and Draco exiting. She stood quickly, scampering over to join them. They then visited the Apothecary for Potion supplies, Flourish and Blotts for books, Potage's Cauldron Shop for, well, a cauldron, and finally, Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment for scales, a telescope, crystal phials, and a few other small things such as quills and parchment.*

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Still recovering from all the amazing things she had seen at Wiseacre's, Alex realized with a start that there was only one place left to go. Ollivander's, the wand shop.* She immediately grew excited, knowing that this was the one place she had been dying to go the entire time. Walking in, they were met with a dusty, ancient looking shop. It was run by an equally dusty, ancient looking man.

"Hmm," he said in a coarse voice. "Here to get your first wands?"

"Yes," Narcissa said brusquely. "And we'd like it to be quick." She ushered Draco forward first, and immediately a tape measure picked itself up and started taking measurements all by itself. Alex stared in wonder, amazed by what magic could accomplish.

After the tape measure had done its job, it sat itself back on the front counter. Mr. Ollivander went to a shelf behind him, and pulled out a long box. Opening it, he pulled out a wand. He looked at it for a second, then handed it to Draco. Draco stood there holding it for a moment, then looked at Mr. Ollivander questioningly.

"Well, give it wave!" Mr. Ollivander said impatiently. Draco complied, and one of the lamps lighting the shop exploded.

"Well, that didn't seem to work," Draco stated, going to the obvious as usual. Alex rolled her eyes. 'No duh,' she thought, not daring to say it out loud.

Mr. Ollivander pulled out another wand, and again gave it to Draco. This time when he waved it, Draco gave a smile, and gold sparks shot out the end.

"Oh, yes, this is the wand for you. The wand chooses the wizard, as I always say." He quickly packaged it up and handed it to Draco. Smiling at Alex, he said, "Now for you, young lady."

She eagerly bounced up to the counter, receiving a disapproving look from Narcissa. Ignoring it, Alex held still while the tape measure did its thing. When done, it went straight back to the spot it had earlier occupied. Ollivander went to the shelves again and drew out a similar box to the one Draco's first choice was in. When he handed it to her, she waved it, and a large gust of wind came out, almost knocking Mr. Ollivander to the floor.

"Dear me, that isn't the right choice, not at all." He snatched it from her, and pulled three more boxes off the shelf. Each of them had their own way of destroying part of the shop. He seemed almost pleased with this, while Narcissa and Draco grew more and more impatient.

Ollivander seemed to ponder something for a moment, then started straight into Alex's eyes. She shifted uncomfortably, wishing he would stop, but not wanting to look away. He seemed to almost smile, then went all the way to the back of the shop.

He came back holding a very dusty looking box. It looked as though it had been untouched for years. Alex stared at it, very much hoping he didn't intend for her to try it. He caught her look, and smiled.

"It doesn't look like much, but I assure you it is a great wand, the first one I made fit to be sold." He drew it out. It was longer than other wands she had seen, but by no means the longest. "18 1/2 inches, laurel and phoenix feather, unyielding," he stated solemnly.

Alex took it in her hand obligingly. Instantly she could feel the warmth grow from her fingertips all the way up her arm. Giving it a way, it shot out the same golden sparks as Draco's. This was it, her wand.

After getting it packaged up and paid for, they left the shop. Alex spotted the man she had seen earlier, who looked almost like a giant. With him a was a boy, who looked about the same age and height as her. He had black hair that stuck up in the back, and circular glasses framing green eyes. He looked right at her, and as their eyes connected, Alex felt something jolt in her stomach. She had a hunch what it meant, and one glance at his forehead confirmed it. There, on the right side**, was a lightning shaped scar, identical to hers. Harry.

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***These shops are all ones I got from Harry Potter. If I messed any of them up, let me know and I'll correct them.**

**** I realized that I based these off of the books, but I'm still putting the scar on the right. It's because later on it will be much more convenient for me and for Alex.  
**

***** The Malfoys knew she existed because when Wormtail (Pettigrew) sold the Potters to Voldemort, he told him about Alex. Voldemort then told the Death Eaters.  
**

** A little thing I messed up on in an earlier chapter, the Malfoys ended up telling her her real last name, that's why she knows it's Potter. In chapter three Lucius says they'll tell her a fake one. My mistake. ****Anyway, thanks for reading.** I already have the entire plot mapped out, but I had some of the finer details on these five chapters already worked out. From now on, this is all gonna be a little slower. Bear with me, I'll try to update no less than once a week. Review!  



	6. Dreams of Magic

**I apologize, but this chapter is going to be nowhere near as good as the last one, but it's still kinda long. It's also a bit boring. Sorry. Did you know, Chapter Five was almost twice as long as the next closest chapter? Just a little fun fact. Anyway, I hope everyone's enjoying summer right now! :) I know I am. Also, a small little twist here. I put in a few short paragraphs from Harry's point of view. There will be some of those from time to time. But, you don't want to be reading a boring note from the author. So, without further ado, Chapter Six!**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter, I only own Alex, yadda yadda yadda.  
**

**P.S. Yeah, I lied, there was further ado, I had to put in the Disclaimer. And this P.S. :) Oh well.  
**

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Alex blinked, sure this was a dream. After ten years, she finally saw him again. Her brother. But he seemed to show no signs of recognition. She sighed. Of course he had no idea who she was. He was the famous one, not her. She stared at him as they walked by. He had turned away by then. A crowd passed between them, but by the time it had cleared, Harry was out of sight.

It took Alex a moment to clear her head. She thought back to what she had discovered earlier that day. Upon looking in a few books, she had discovered that every telling of her family's story had no mention of her. None! It was almost like she didn't exist. That confused her, because the Malfoys obviously knew of her, so why not everyone else? And why didn't she go live with her brother, anyway? These thoughts filled her mind, each question causing a dozen more.

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Harry looked up from admiring his owl. Hagrid had just gotten her for him as a birthday present. He looked towards Ollivander's, the wand shop. Just exiting was a woman and two children. One of them he recognized as the boy he had run into in Madame Malkin's. The other, he hadn't seen before. A scarf was tied over her hair, as if to keep people from seeing its color.

The girl looked right at him. Her eyes were so familiar, it sent a jolt through his insides. Did he know her? Where had he seen those eyes before? He could see her gaze shift to his forehead. Harry sighed, knowing that was something he would have to get used to. Everyone he had met so far had done that exact motion.

Harry turned away from the girl. Hagrid was already walking away. But there was something about her that drew him in. He must have known her from somewhere! Looking back one more time, he caught a glimpse of the scarf before it was blocked by a crowd of people.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex was immediately sent to her living quarters. She went down, seemingly in a daze. She was still trying to juggle all the question building up inside of her, trying to answer as many as possible. She realized that she couldn't answer a single one! For her entire life secrets were kept from her, and she had no idea why.

Soon after Alex made this revelation, Narcissa called for her to come up. She figured it was some sort of cleaning or cooking that needed to be done. To her surprise, she found Narcissa in the kitchen, a spellbook open in front of her.

"Ah, Alex, good," Narcissa said crisply.

"Um, might I ask what's going on?" Alex stood in the doorway confusedly.

"I'm teaching you how to use magic." Alex's hazel eyes grew large as she realized she was actually going to learn spells.

"Wha-what kind of magic?" she managed to stutter through her surprise. Almost as if to confuse her even more, Narcissa's lips curled into and almost-half-smile.

"Household spells. Cleaning, cooking, gardening, that sort of thing." Upon saying that she thrust the book at Alex. "Read this first chapter, then we'll get started.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex started having lessons every day after she finished her daily jobs. Everything else was left to Dobby for the time being. She took a break for a week when Draco had to get ready to go to Hogwarts. After that, it was back on the daily schedule. She quickly mastered the dusting and sweeping spells, the easiest ones in the book. Soon she had progressed through the cleaning section and on into gardening.

After months of training, she had gone through the entire book Narcissa had gotten. Every chore she had to do went three times faster than before. She could keep the house maintained much better than before. Alex would normally have to get up very early to light all the fires and start breakfast. Now, she could wake up an hour later, and light the fires with a flick of her wand. Breakfast would be done in 30 minutes, and she would still have time to relax a bit before needing to serve the food.

After breakfast came the garden. Alex would first water all the plants, and dry the leaves and petals so they wouldn't dry out easily. She would then give any wilted blooms a face lift. The bushes would be trimmed with a little wave, the grass clipped with a simple incantation. One more simple spell, and all the debris would find itself in the waste heap.

The gardening would lead into her break, because the house elf was in charge of lunch. Her break would include eating leftovers and secretly helping Dobby clean up. Each day she would levitate the heavier things for him, while he carried the smaller plates and cups into the kitchen. It was their own secret ritual, that they both were pleased with and helped them create a good strong friendship.

After break was the previously most dreaded chore. The cleaning of every surface in the mansion. Luckily, after learning a simple spell and tweaking it to fit her needs, she was much more efficient. With the changes made, Alex would simply raise her wand in the middle of each level, and and cast the incantation. All the dust and other unwanted substances would fly into the dustbin she would have in her free hand.

If she finished all her chores quickly enough, Alex would steal off to the library and read until it was time to make dinner. Because this was such a large feat, she and Dobby worked together on it. Lucius expected no less than four courses, and if any dish was something that had been made in the last week, he would upturn the table and give them both a beating. Not only that, he would expect an new and _entirely_ different meal. Luckily, Alex had found a large collection of cookbooks so they were never short on recipes.

When all that was finally over with, Alex was allowed to sleep. Each evening she would go down to her "room." Laying down on her blanket, she would pull off her shoes and rub her aching feet. Looking up at the small window placed at the very top of the wall, she would stare at the moon. It gave her hope that one day, she would escape this prison, and have freedom. With those thoughts, she would fall asleep, drifting away from the place she hated most, only to be brought back again the next morning.

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**As I said at the top, it was kinda boring. But I decided I needed a sort of filler chapter to have before I transitioned into the fast-forward of the next three years. There's going to be more from Harry's point of view, too. It's mostly just going to be tweaks I had to make to the original Harry Potter to make it fit with the twin sister-thing. I hope I didn't bore you too much with this chapter, but if I did, be sure to tell me! And as always, review!**


	7. That Girl

**Sorry it's been a little while. I've been on a sort of brain lock where I have tons of ideas, then I get to the computer to type and they all disappear. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to changing what I need to of the original. I know I said that at the end of Chapter Six, but I wanted to make sure. **

**After this chapter, the real adventure part of this begins, and soon so does the part that relates to the title. So, here goes! **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter, but Alex is MINE! (Sorry, I'm being oddly possessive.)**

* * *

Harry stared at the creature in front of him. Dobby, he said his name was. The nerve of this-this _elf _to come and say he shouldn't go back! Not go back to Hogwarts! To Harry, even the idea of it was absurd. Hogwarts was his home, the only place he had ever felt welcome. There was no way he was just "not going to go back."

"Listen, Dobby, I-" He was cut off by the elf making a whimpering noise.

"No, Harry Potter must listen to Dobby. It is too dangerous for Harry Potter to go back to Hogwarts."

"But why, Dobby? What aren't you telling me?" Dobby wrung his hands, knowing he wasn't supposed to be here. He started mumbling unintelligibly under his breath. Harry only caught four words, but those were quite a bit.

"...sister Alex wouldn't want-" Harry was stunned. Sister?

"Dobby, what was that about a sister?"Dobby looked mortified that Harry had heard that.

"Bad Dobby, _bad Dobby!_" Harry grabbed the elf before he could do anything that would alert his family to Dobby's presence.

"Shhh, Dobby. Never mind, forget that happened." But even as Harry said this, he knew that he himself would _not _forget. Somehow, when Dobby said sister, his mind went straight to the girl he had seen in Diagon Alley. He wondered why, but figured he would see her at school, for she seemed to be getting Hogwarts supplies.

Harry was slightly distracted the rest of the night, and even when the Weasleys came to get him, his thoughts were still on the mysterious hazel-eyed girl.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was almost three years before Harry gave the girl another thought. It came at the strangest time. He was tied to a headstone in the middle of an unknown graveyard. He had no idea where he was, and had just watched a friend die right before his eyes. And now, the greatest Dark wizard of all time had risen again, and had his most loyal followers with him. All in all, the Triwizard Tournament had _not _gone as planned.

Harry watched as Lucius Malfoy whispered something inaudible to Voldemort. There was a triumphant gleam in his eye, and was wearing an obvious smirk. When he finished, he bowed and backed away. There was the equivalent of a smile creeping up the Dark Lord's face.

"Well done, Lucius, well done. After we have finished with our, _business, _here, I will come to collect the gir-" He caught himself just in time. "The _gift _you have for me. If you truly did keep it all these years, you were more loyal than I had thought. Or just more desperate."

The other Death Eaters laughed as a slight flush crept up Lucius's cheeks. Their attention then turned to their master once more as he looked round at Harry.

"Ah, the great Harry Potter. It's too bad you won't be there to see the wonderful present Lucius says he has kept for me. In fact, I doubt you even know it exists!"

"No, my lord," one of the Death Eaters spoke up. "Very few knew of its existence even before the- er..."

"Never mind, Avery, I know what you mean. But of course, you will get to see her _and _your filthy Mudblood mother soon enough." Harry then understood that the "gift" they were talking about was a person. But who? His thoughts raced to the girl from Diagon Alley, and he realized he had seen her with Malfoy. Malfoy! If Lucius had the girl they were talking about, then wouldn't she be the logical choice? But why did Voldemort want to kill her?

Harry knew he was her only chance of survival. But, after all, he needed to save his own life first. Voldemort was advancing on him, ready to duel, and if Harry wanted to live, he needed his head in the game.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex collapsed, feeling excruciating pain. She was the only one home, so she had no idea where the pain came from. The house disappeared and suddenly she was in a graveyard, with a tall, pale man standing over her laughing. He had red pupils, and a snakelike nose. He raised his wand again, but before he did anything, she was back at Malfoy Manor.

She stood shakily, not sure what had just happened. After all, Alex was sure she had never actually left the house. Racking her brain for what could have happened, she came up with only one solution. Harry. He must have been in the graveyard. He probably had felt the same pain as her. She then tried to figure out who the man had been. Was it? No, he was gone, it couldn't be.

But a voice in the back of her head was more rational. 'Who else _could_ it be?' it asked her. Alex sadly agreed with the voice. She knew there was nothing she could do to help, she only prayed that Harry would be all right.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Upon hearing Lucius's voice calling her from upstairs, she sighed. It would probably be another one of Dobby's old chores she forgot to do. It was hard adjusting to doing all the work alone. It was very lonely in the big house now, because Dobby had been the only one who was ever kind to her.

She climbed the stairs, shaking herself out of her thoughts. Alex swore she heard another voice besides Lucius's. They were conversing in low tones. She was sure she had heard the second one somewhere, but she couldn't match it to a face. She rounded the corned, ready to see who the mysterious visitor was. Instead, she saw Lucius bowing low, a tall figure above him. The figure turned, and Alex took in the pale skin, the red pupils, and the snakelike nose. Her forehead exploded with pain as she screamed, for she was face to face with the man of her nightmares.

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**Dun-dun-DUN! Sorry for the cliffhanger. I know I'm leaving you hanging (all puns intended) but I wanted to do it that way. I'm just so totally mean. I'm sure you can figure out at least a general outcome for this part, but you never know. Anyway, I may post the next chapter later today, I might not. Depends on if I'm in a patient enough mood. If I don't get it up today, it's probably going to be a few days before I get around to it. **

**Out of the blue, I want to send a special shoutout to a few people. Those people are** **Asiangirl143, dancer4813, fatcatbeatrice, leafstone, Majorjewls, and xaviersmom. You guys all made my day by favoriting the story, and it makes me feel good to know that you guys care enough to do it. So thank you, I love you all. *virtual hug* I love all my readers, but I don't know all your pen names, so I can't send shoutouts to everyone. But I thank all of you guys, and I hope I didn't ruin the chapter by adding this in. Anyway, I'm sure you guys are sick of reading this at the end of every chapter of every fanfic, but I'm doing it again. **

**Review! :)  
**


	8. First Flight

**Hey! So, since it hasn't been very long (as in, it's been a few hours), I don't _think _there's anything I need to add here. Hm... thinking, thinking, nope! So, without further ado (yeah, I'm lying again, still gonna be a disclaimer), Chapter Eight!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Harry Potter. (See, I told you!)  
**

* * *

Alex couldn't move. Every muscle in her body was frozen solid. A little voice in her mind tried to make a joke, saying, 'Well, now I know what it feels like to be Petrified.' Other than that, there was no humor whatsoever in her current situation. After all, she was standing stone still in front of the man who had murdered her parents, tried to murder _her, _and may or may not have just killed her brother.

To say she was in a bad place was an understatement. Voldemort smirked at her as she stood there. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lucius leave the room. He knew he should just kill the girl now, after what happened with the boy. But for some strange reason, he was a man who couldn't help but toy with his victims before he finished them off.

"I see Lucius _was _telling the truth," he stated smoothly. "Good, because I would hate to have to go through the work it took me to get to your brother." At this Alex snapped out of her shock.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded angrily. He let out a high, cold laugh, for she was playing right into his hands.

"Nothing he didn't ask for, Potter. Besides, you will be with him, _and _your parents, soon enough." Her blood ran cold. Alex tried to convince herself he was lying, but nothing on the snakelike face gave any indication of it. With a sudden realization, she regained her bravery.

"Go ahead, then. Kill me," she dared him, not breaking eye contact. Neither of them were even blinking.

"Ah, but why need I? Instead, you could join me and my Death Eaters," he gestured towards Lucius, "and help us give others what they deserve." Alex was shocked by this proposal, but knew what he was trying to. She wouldn't fall for it. She wouldn't!

"Did you give Harry that choice, too? Or did you just murder him out of cold blood?"

"He was, a threat, to my quest."

"A _threat? _He was just a kid, no more than 14! How could someone that young be a threat to a man such as yourself?" she cried out in what seemed like an emotional outburst. Really, Alex just wanted to keep him talking. The more she stalled, the better thought out her plan would be.

"When he grew older, his power may have exceeded my own, a risk I could not take."

"Then why kill me as well? Why kill our parents?"

"Your parents because they got in my way. And you, well, why not finish the job I started? Finish off the Potter family for good."

"Well, your plan failed. Harry's still alive, and I intend to stay that way as well!" With that exclamation she whipped out her wand. Pointing it at the wall she shouted, "Bombarda!" The wall exploded, leaving a gaping hole. Alex jumped out, and fell towards the ground.

Voldemort rushed to the hole, and raised his wand with the intention of killing her. The fall was too short, she would have a broken bone at the worst. He was surprised to see no one on the ground. He heard laughing, and was determined to locate its source. He looked up, and there, on a broomstick, was the girl. She gave him a jaunty salute, and flew away, still laughing.

The Dark Lord yelled in frustration. He had been foiled by a mere girl! Lucius came running in to see what was the matter. What he saw was a gaping hole in the wall, and a hole in a downstairs window that was suspiciously broomstick shaped. Voldemort was nowhere in sight, and when Lucius saw no bodies, he knew Alex had escaped.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Her hair was flying out behind her, the wind rushing in her face. She laughed out of pure joy, feeling true freedom for the first time. She had been afraid her plan wouldn't work, because she had never flown on a broomstick before. But this was so easy! Alex felt like a bird gliding through the air. If she had been allowed, she would have done this every day!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry felt a random smile come across his face. He felt the sudden excitement he placed as the feeling he got the first time he rode a broomstick. He resisted the urge to let out a yell of glee. Why was he feeling like this? He wasn't on a broomstick! His Firebolt was locked away in the cupboard under the stairs. He fell down suddenly, no longer seeing his room in Number 4, Privet Drive.

All Harry could see was blue sky. Not in control of his own actions, he looked down, seeing the ground rush by. He faced forward again, letting the wind sting his eyes. Feeling his long hair whip out behind him- wait. Long hair? What in the world was going on?

Suddenly he could feel the pressure of a carpet beneath his cheek. Harry stood, looking around. He was back in his room. What just happened? Deciding he must have just fallen asleep or passed out suddenly, he got up and continued looking for his glasses.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex was truly amazed how well her plan worked out. All she had done was read about the spells she used, never once actually daring to try one. But apparently, theory was enough for her! The Exploding Spell she used _did _have a larger effect than she expected, but she didn't care. More work for the Malfoys! Also, the Summoning Charm took longer to work than she had planned on. She was dangerously close to the ground when it finally came.

But she was free! No longer would Alex be stuck in a dark old house, spending her days cooking and cleaning for a wretched family. No more would she wonder what the outside world was like. She could go where she wanted, do what she liked, and never have a care in the world.

No, not true. Alex Potter would have a lot of problems. For one, she had nowhere to go! Where was she supposed to live? And what about food? It's not like money grew on trees. Also, the most hated and feared Dark wizard of all time wanted to kill her. Not a good spot to be in. She wondered what she would do, but for now, she needed a place to stay. Looking down, she saw a small Muggle town. Landing in a thicket of trees, she make a small camp.

Alex got herself a nice bed, and a covering in case it rained. She then decided to go explore. She wandered across a small playground, and found a large tunnel that seemed to serve no more purpose than a covered walkway. She walked through it, trying to figure out where she was. Walking down the first street she saw, she finally came across a sign. She was in Little Whinging, Surrey.

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**Soo? Whadya think? I know, not the greatest writing or the best grammar, but was it okay? I personally was looking forward to writing this chapter in particular. I don't know why, but it really held appeal to me. Anyway, I should have the next chapter out tomorrow or the day after! As always, review! **

**Also, new thing here: I like to reply to people's reviews, but so many of you are now doing them under guest, so I'm going to reply to any reviews I can't through here! So, if you reviewed as a guest, look here to see if I replied. Thanks!  
**

**A: Thanks a lot. It's kinda hectic, but I'm glad you like it!  
**

**meggie: Thanks! I'm really glad you've read and enjoyed it! "Awesome" is what I would describe you with! :)  
**

**Guest: :) Very nice.  
**

**Ali: Yes, yes they will. I'm still trying to think of a good way to introduce it, but as you can see they are most definitely on their way.  
**

**Guest: You'll just have to keep looking to see! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon so you don't have to wait long. I hope you liked this one, though!  
**


	9. Collision

**I want to start by thanking you guys for reading. I know I've said it waaay too many times before, but you have no idea how much it means to me that you're reading this. I don't care if you follow, favorite, or review (although I'd still appreciate it), even just by getting on and seeing more people have read it makes me happy. Just wanted to make sure you knew I apprecitated it. Thanks! **

**~The Whomping Pillow (Alexis)  
**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter. The only part of this story I own is Alex.  
**

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After the longest time in captivity, Alex was having a hard time processing her freedom. She could now do whatever she wanted, and there was no one to tell her otherwise. Well, there were the Muggle bobbies, but they didn't count. Avoiding them wasn't very hard. Her biggest problem was food.

Alex often had to go through the Muggle waste bins to look for something to eat. Unfortunately, the bobbies didn't like her doing that, so she always had to do it when there wasn't anyone around. She avoided it as much as possible, though. Often times she would just eat fruit off of trees and vegetables she could steal from gardens around her. The water she drank came from a weird fountain-like thing in the playground. It was a genius invention, but she was working on a charm that conjured water so she wouldn't have to rely on the Muggles.

Adapting to this new life wasn't too hard for Alex. She had to use perseverance skills she learned with the Malfoys. She was also good at hiding, which she used whenever Lucius was angry. Hunger was something she had learned to easily tolerate, and she knew she wasn't getting enough to eat from day to day even now. Other than that, the new life was suiting her. Every day, she would go to the remote edges of town and practice flying in the cloud banks. She loved the feeling of freedom she got whenever she mounted the broom. She wondered if other wizards ever felt the same way.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex sat on the swing, exhausted. The heat just drained her. She had sat there most of the day, watching the families playing around her. It made her feel safe, protected. Although she knew none of them, they seemed so familiar. After getting strange looks for a while, she had cut her reddish/auburn hair, giving herself side bangs that covered her scar. She only cut a few inches off the rest, though. Having never had a proper haircut before now, it fell just past her waist.

Eyes closed, Alex let the breeze sweep her hair back. Hearing a squeal, she realized her mistake, and pulled her bangs back over her scar. She looked around, and realized it was not her that had caused the squeak. All the families had left, but there was one small boy who was surrounded by five very large ones. They all seemed about her age, and she knew they were up to no good. She decided to go see if there was anything she could do.

"Please!" the boy squeaked in a piteous voice. "I- I didn't mean too-"

"Oh, shut it," one of the older boys said.

"Yeah, we're in no mood to hear your 'excuses,'" another added.

"Let's teach him a lesson, boys," the largest said. He seemed to be the leader, because the others instantly sprang into action. The two nearest the boy grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back. The other two started laughing as the leader advanced on him.

"Come on, Big D!" So apparently his name was "Big D."

"Yeah, hit 'im hard!" Big D punched the boy, who cried out in pain. Alex was horrified, but knew she couldn't do anything without revealing she was a witch. She shielded her eyes while Big D threw more punches. Finally he stopped, and they let the boy go. He ran off, tears streaming down his face.

"That'll teach him a lesson," Big D grunted. The others guffawed as they walk off. Alex realized how late it was getting and decided to head "home."  
She kept her head down and wasn't watching where she was going. It startled her very much when she ran into someone. She fell backwards with a startled, "oh!"

Quickly, she made sure her bangs were over her forehead before looking up. There, standing above her, was none other than Harry Potter himself. He was staring at her, and she was doing the same back. They both shook it off quickly, and he offered her a hand. She took it with a grateful smile, and he hauled her up. She muttered a quick thanks then was on her way.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

How did she end up in Little Whinging? Harry was confused to say the least. He thought it might just be a dream, but the pain of the collision seemed to say otherwise. Maybe it wasn't actually her? That must've been it. It was just a girl who looked a lot like her. But for some reason, she caused the same effect the first girl did. What was it, and why did he feel that way?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex cursed herself for being so stupid. Why didn't she watch where she was going? There was no way she could stay here now. If Harry knew it was her, he might look for her again. He also might figure out who she really was. That could not happen. He was better, safer, _happier _not knowing. Right? Somehow, she couldn't convince herself she was doing the right thing.

After getting some apples for her dinner, she sat on her "bed", thinking. She knew she would need somewhere safe to go, somewhere Voldemort couldn't find her. But where would be safe? She thought and thought, and finally came up with an answer. In one of the books she'd read, it said the _only man Voldemort ever feared was Albus Dumbledore. _Dumbledore! The headmaster of Hogwarts! She would be safe there! But how to get him to accept her? After all, it was probably against Hogwarts policy to just take in random witches and wizards. She needed a plan, a way to prove she was worthy. But for now, she needed sleep.

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**You're probably all mad at me now because you thought this would be the big, "OMG THEY MET!" moment, but I sorta have one of those planned for a later chapter. *Slight spoiler for later in story* Alex isn't actually who he thinks she is when they meet, but it's still cool. *end of spoiler* **

**In other news, shout out to NiX Readaholic17 for favoriting! Thanks! Remember, writers love feedback, so say it with me this time:**

**Review! **

**P.S. I apologize for acting like Dora the Explorer, my sister (she's 9 years old and still watches Dora...) was watching it while I typed, so I was like, you know what, let's make it like Dora. :) Sorry if I freaked you out. I won't do it again.  
**


	10. New Student

**I've been waiting for a while to post this chapter and the next one. I have through Chapter 12 typed, and I'm doing my best not to post them all at once. I'm gonna be mean and try to draw this out a little bit. I'll try to keep the gaps as small as possible, up to a max of 5 days. **

**On a different note: Chapter 10! Finally reached double digits! :) This one has some maaad acting skills in it, because I've decided if Alex was a Muggle, she would be into drama. It was really fun to write about her doing this. But, I'll stop rambling to you can actually see what happens. But first, a little test. I want to see how many people actually read these, so if you read this all the way through, review or PM me the number three. No joke, just do it. Don't add anything else. If you don't want to, that's fine, but I'd like it if you did. So, with the further ado of the disclaimer, Chapter 10!  
**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, the rights belong to J.K. Rowling.**

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Alex stared at the castle. It was much larger than she had imagined. She knew she had to get in somehow, but was sure there were more protections than just walls. If her plan worked however, she would get in with permission from one of the teachers, and hopefully be accepted to attend. It all boiled down to if Dumbledore and whoever found her bought the act.

Smoothing her bangs nervously, she pulled out the handheld mirror she bought. Finding Muggle money on the ground was surprisingly easier than she had bargained for. She checked the makeup applied to her forehead, as well as the leaves and twigs in her hair and the dirt on her face. She had artfully yet realistically torn her clothes to look like someone who had been on the run for days. In fact, that was exactly the look she was going for. Now she needed to get her acting skills together and put this show on the road.

Still hidden in the forest, Alex calmed herself down, then started her act. Stumbling out from behind the trees, she looked at the castle and gave a very realistic groan of happiness. At that very moment, a large man walked out of the castle gates. It was the twelve-foot man she had seen in Diagon Alley! She collapsed to her knees, hoping to gain his attention. It did and he hurried over.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hagrid saw the girl collapse, and ran to her. He knelt over her, worried because she was thin, pale, and sickly looking. Her clothes were in tatters, and it looked like she had been out in the woods for days. She looked up at him, a scared expression on her face.

"Who-who are you?" she stuttered, obviously terrified.

"It's all righ'," he soothed. "Everything's gonna be fine." She nodded then relaxed slightly. He lifted her up and set her on her feet, but as soon as she was supporting her own weight she stumbled. Hagrid caught her, then lifted her into his arms. He could hear her protest slightly, but not enough to be a very convincing argument. She then asked him one question.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To see the headmaster." She stiffened visibly, but if Hagrid had paid closer attention, he would have seen the triumphant gleam in her eye.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dumbledore looked up from the book he was reading. There was a knock on the door. It was so forceful Dumbledore was sure it was Hagrid. Sure enough, when he called, "come in," the large bulking mass of the huge man came though the doorway. To Dumbledore's surprise, however, he was holding a girl, who looked as though she could be no older than 15. Hagrid sat her down in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, then started to explain.

"You see, Professor Dumbledore sir, I was walking to go get a drink in Hogsmead, when I see this here girl come out of the forest. She surprised me ter say the least, but she's very weak, and looks like she's been travelin' fer days, I couldn't just leave her." Dumbledore nodded knowingly before turning to the girl.

"My name is Professor Dumbledore. I'm headmaster here at Hogwarts. Will you tell us what your name is?"

"A-A-Alex, sir, Alex T-Thompson." She looked terrified now, almost on the verge of passing out.

"Alex, can you tell me why you were in the woods?" She looked up at him for the first time, and he was slightly surprised by the exact shade of hazel her eyes were. It reminded him of a student he once had...

"I-I ran away from home. My parents, th-they abused me. I was home schooled in m-m-magic, but if I didn't get a spell right on the first try, they b-beat me like M-Muggles. Finally I got away, and decided to try to come here." Dumbledore nodded again, pondering it. His eyes sparked with a light that told anyone he had made a brilliant realization. He knew who she was, and why she was here. He decided to offer her a spot at the school.

"You have a wand of your own, yes?" She nodded at him. "Did you use books to learn spells?" She nodded again. "What was the last book you _finished_?"

"I think it was_ The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4_."

"And how old are you?"

"15, sir."

"When is your birthday?"

"July 20th." Dumbledore nodded once more, then went over to one of his shelves. He pulled the Sorting Hat off of it, and shook it slightly. He whispered to it, telling it what it needed to do.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex watched the old man whisper to the hat. They said he was brilliant, the smartest wizard ever. She believed them, but why was he talking to a hat?

Dumbledore finished his conversation with the hat and walked over to her. Smiling, he held it out. She took it, but had no idea what to do with it. She glanced at Hagrid, who was smiling encouragingly.

"Um, what do I do with it?" she asked in a semi-fearful voice. So far, her acting skills had not failed her, and she most certainly hoped they wouldn't now.

"Put it on." What? Put it on? Was he mad? It could have lice or who knows what else! He smiled almost as though he knew what she was thinking. "Here at Hogwarts we have things called houses. Each one has its own common room and dormitories. You eat, sleep, and attend classes with your house. There are also house Quidditch teams, and we have a House Cup. Houses earn points, and whoever has the most at the end of the year wins."

"What are the different houses?"

"Well, there's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Gryffindor is has bravery, Ravenclaw has cleverness and brains. Hufflepuff are the just, fair, and kind ones. Slytherin has cunning, resourcefulness, and ambition. When you put this hat on your head, it will go through your brain and decide which house you belong in." Alex didn't like the sound of "going through your brain." Would it know she was lying about her name and birthday?

Nevertheless she put it on. She could then hear a small voice in her head.

"Well well well, what do we have here? Another Potter? I was unaware there _were _two. I see you're just like your brother. Very difficult, very difficult indeed. I suppose you're like him in more ways than one, then, so it better be GRYFFINDOR!" It shouted the last word so Dumbledore and Hagrid could hear too. Hagrid smiled at her, and Dumbledore took the hat off her head.

"I presume you don't have any school books, supplies, or robes?" She shook her head. "Very well, I shall get some for you. The rest of the students will arrive tomorrow, so you will have time to settle in. I will have Hagrid show you to the Gryffindor common room. Oh, and by the way, you will be joining the fifth years for lessons. Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Thompson." Alex walked out the door Hagrid was now holding open for her. He smiled down at her as she walked by, still stumbling slightly.

They walked through the corridors in silence for a while, when Hagrid finally looked at her properly. He faltered for a moment. Alex stopped and turned, looking worried.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no, you just reminded me very much of someone I used to know."

"Oh, really? Who?"

"You wouldn't know them. They died when you were very young."

"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked."

"'S all right. I'm glad to see her face again. Wonderful girl, Lily was." Alex was alarmed to hear her mother's name. Obviously she looked more like her than she bargained for. She hoped no one else noticed the resemblance.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

She stood there, amazed by what she saw. The common room was beautiful! Everything had a red and gold color scheme. There were armchairs and couches around the room, and a beautiful fire lighting it all up. It was breathtaking. It looked more like home than anywhere she had ever seen. Hagrid stood chuckling behind her through the portrait hole.

"Well, I can't fit inside, so you're on yer own now. If you need help finding you dormitory, ask one of the portraits, they'd be glad to help. Enjoy!" Alex recovered enough to shout a quick word of thanks before he was out of earshot. She then went up to one of the paintings to figure out where she was supposed to go.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione Granger walked up the stairs to her dormitory. After leaving Harry and Ron in the common room, she wanted some time to think about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge. She was still trying to figure out what Fudge's plan was, to be putting a high ranking Ministry official in a teaching post. He obviously wasn't up to any good, judging by Umbridge's speech.

Still distracted, she pushed open the dormitory door. It took her a moment to register the extra bed now placed inside. Looking around, she saw a girl who looked about her age bent over a trunk. Her dark red hair cascaded down her back, some of it falling in her face. The girl must have heard her open the door, for she straightened and turned around. Hermione saw that she was very small, about as short as some of the tall third years. The girl smiled at her and walked forward, holding out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Alex, Alex Thompson. I'm the new student."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! :) I love doing that to you guys. It makes you a lot more anxious for the next chapter. Ha ha! Anyway, I'll be putting Chapter 11 up in a few days. It has an exciting part I think everyone's been waiting for. Anyway, it'll be up fairly soon, so keep checking. Until then, I won't pull another Dora, but I'm still gonna say it. **

**Review! ;)  
**


	11. Potion Incidents

**This is the chapter. Literally _the _chapter. Sort of. It holds something everyone who's been following this has been waiting for. Maybe. Probably not. But I have seen a few people excited for this. Here it is, Chapter 11. **

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. :P  
**

* * *

Hermione glared at Ron. Why couldn't he just eat like a normal, civilized person? Especially when she had invited the new girl to sit with them at breakfast. She wished he had a least a little bit more dignity.

"Honestly, Ronald. You act like you've never had food before!"

"Oh, come on, Hermione. I'm hungry! I can eat however I want too!"

"Well you could at least do it a bit more maturely. You're a prefect, and I asked the new girl to sit with us." Harry looked at her with a surprised expression. "You didn't know?" she asked, sounding more than a little exasperated. "The rumors were flying around Gryffindor tower all of last night after Lavender came in and met her."

Harry was bewildered by this. Never had he heard of a student coming in the middle of their schooling. Apparently neither had anyone else, however. He heard quite a few people talking about it. In fact, even some people at the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were, too! He wondered if what she looked like, or even what her name was.

"Uh, Hermione, what's her-"

"Alex. Alex Thompson. And try to be nice around her, okay? She had a rough life before this." This confused Harry even more.

"What do you mean, rough life?"

Hermione lowered her voice before speaking. "Her parents taught her magic, but abused her. Literally. They would hit her and not feed her if she messed up a spell. Once her dad shot her. She had to run away, and she came here." Harry knew this must be serious, because most magical families would have no idea what a gun was.

Hermione glanced at the doorway to the Great Hall. She surprised Harry by suddenly throwing up her arm and waving. Harry followed her gaze and saw _her _standing in the doorway. It was the girl he kept running into! She was the new student? That made no sense. She had been with the Malfoys, yet her last name was Thompson, and she said she lived with her family. It just didn't work right. Who was she really?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex stood nervously in the entrance hall. She had no idea where the Gryffindor table was, much less where Hermione Granger was sitting. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the Great Hall. It definitely lived up to its name. The thing was huge! Four tables ran the length, as well as a large table across the front were the staff was sitting. The ceiling looked like the sky outside, bright blue with wispy little clouds dotting it. Suddenly, something from one of the tables caught her attention.

Looking over, Alex saw that it was Hermione waving at her. She smiled and walked over. Sitting next to Hermione was a tall boy with bright red hair. He was busy stuffing his face with who knows what. What surprised her the most was that sitting across from Hermione was a shorter boy with black hair that stuck up in the back. Alex didn't make the connection at first, but then it clicked. Harry.

Knowing she mustn't seem scared, Alex slid smoothly into the empty seat beside Harry. Smiling, she held her hand out to him.

"Hi, my name's Alex Thompson. And you are?" Harry was very surprised she didn't already know his name. That, or she was pretending for the sake of courtesy. He really couldn't tell.

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter." Her eyes widened slightly at this, but she recovered quickly. Harry looked at her for a moment more, trying to decide if she was acting or not. If she was, she was exceptionally good at it.

"I already know you Hermione. Thanks for letting me sit with you, by the way," she added. Looking at Ron, she raised an eyebrow. Hermione gave sort of a, "I really don't know why he does it," shrug. That seemed to be enough for Alex. "What's your name?"

"Ron Weasley." He went back to stuffing his face.

"Right then... Anyway, Ron, Harry, nice to meet you!" She started helping herself to the food. Hermione obviously thought nothing was wrong, so she continued eating. Harry however, had a hard time processing what had just happened. He knew she was the same girl from Diagon Alley, and most likely that girl he had run into in Little Whinging. But if she had lived with the Malfoys, why had she been in Little Whinging in the first place? And why was she lying to Dumbledore?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex knew this was a class she would _not _enjoy. The teacher, Professor Snape, hated her. It's not like she did anything! He also hated Harry. She wondered if it had anything to do with them being in Gryffindor. It's not like he knew they were twins, so it couldn't be a grudge against their family or anything. Right?

While she let her potion stew, Alex looked around the classroom. It seemed to be set up with two different sides. On one was the Slytherins. That included Draco and his friends. She wondered if he had already told his father she was at Hogwarts. If he had, she knew she needed to tread carefully.

On the opposite side, where Alex was sitting, were the Gyffindors. She was at a table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione again. Unfortunately, they seemed to have established their own little group. It made sense, they had been at Hogwarts for four years together, but Alex was feeling pretty alone. It didn't help that a group of boys at the next table over kept trying to catch her eye. She thought their names were Neville, Seamus, and Dean, but she wasn't sure.

Halfway through the class, Alex noticed Harry was about to add the wrong thing to his cauldron. He hadn't seemed to have added the syrup of hellebore. Not wanting Snape to have a reason to torment him, she opened her mouth, about to warn him. Unfortunately, she was too slow and he already added the first ingredient on the next line. She inwardly cringed, hoping Snape wouldn't notice.

Of course, Snape _did _notice. He seemed to have been keeping an eye on Harry, waiting for him to do something wrong. So, by default, he knew exactly when Harry made a mistake. He sauntered over, looking like a cat that had just caught a bird.

"What is it that you are making, Potter?"

"The Draught of Peace."

"Can you read, Potter?" At this the Slytherins across the room chuckled quietly. It seemed to bring them great joy seeing the famous Potter be criticized.

"Yes, Professor, as a matter of fact I can."

"Read the class the third line." Harry read the line of instructions out loud. Alex saw his face fall, and knew he had realized what he did wrong.

"Did you do everything on that line, Potter?"

"No."

"Speak up Potter."

"No," he said louder. "I forgot the hellebore..." Alex knew what was going to happen, and felt very, very sorry for him.

"Yes, I realized. Unlike you, I am not incompetent. This is a useless mess, Potter. _Evanesco." _Harry's cauldron was now empty. He was going to get a zero, just because Snape hated him too much. When he went to check her cauldron however, he seemed to have nothing to criticize and walked away.

After having everyone else fill a flagon with their potion and hand it in, Snape assigned a twelve-inch essay on the use of moonstone in potion-making. He then dismissed them with the bell. Harry shot out of his seat and was the first one out the door. Alex watched him go sadly, wishing there was something she could do.

* * *

**I want to apologize, the end of this chapter was really sucky. My cousins are currently visiting me, and they provide for quite the distraction. Hopefully I can concentrate better on the next few chapters. Until then, though, I really am sorry. But hey, at least they finally met! :) Time is going to be going really slow in the next chapter. Just a warning. I'll speed things up a bit soon. Can anyone guess what I'm gonna say next?**


	12. Liars and Friends

**Hey! So, I guess my cousins haven't been overly distracting enough to keep me from writing, so I am still gonna write while they're here. I apologize for any mess ups, spelling errors, or bad writing in general, but I've just been having a bad week. My migraine problem is getting way worse, and I found out I may have something wrong with my neck. Writing has become a sort of escape place for me, so there may be more chapters than usual, but they may not be as good. On a happier note, enjoy Chapter 12!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I wish... *grumble grumble*  
**

* * *

Harry had known Potions would be awful. Snape had always treated him that way. So why did it bug him so much now? It took him a while to realize the answer. Alex. She had been perfect at it, and although Snape obviously didn't like her either, he had nothing to say. Why was this new girl so good? Maybe it was because of her parents. Maybe they treated her so badly she had tried a lot harder and got better.

It still didn't add up, though. Harry had thought of every possible explanation, and only one made sense. She had to be lying. Either about her name, where she came from, or both. But why was she lying? What was she trying to hide? He knew he needed to find out. What if she was dangerous? Unfortunately, this was not his area of expertise. He was dreading what he had to do, but it was necessary. Sighing, he started looking for Hermione.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Harry, you realize how unlikely it is, right?" Harry sighed. He knew this would be her reaction.

"Yes, Hermione. But I'm _sure _she's the same girl," he said.

"Well, yes, I get that, but maybe her family knows the Malfoys. Maybe they took her into Diagon Alley?" Even Hermione didn't sound sure of herself. Harry knew he was getting there.

"Well then why would she be disguised? It was obvious they didn't want anyone to notice her. And how does that explain why she was in Little Whinging?"

"She could have been stopping there on her way to Hogwarts..." she trailed off. The more Harry said, the less sure she was. That was a strange thing, for Hermione Granger not to be positive.

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it again. Alex had just walked into the Great Hall. She glanced over at them, then sat down at the end of the table, closest to the exit. Hermione watched her concernedly for a moment, then turned back to Harry.

"I feel really bad talking about her like this. Even if it is true, which I don't think it is, she doesn't deserve to be pushed away. It's obvious she was abused earlier in life. I've seen her scars, and they look awful." Harry stared at her. He hadn't expected her to say _that._ About to apologize, she cut him off, adding, "And in case you haven't noticed, we've kind of been pushing her away. Nobody else has even made an effort to be friends with her yet. She feels unwelcome, and obviously we aren't helping."

Looking at Alex again, Harry saw Hermione was right. She was sitting all by herself, in a little bubble of loneliness. He felt awful acting like this, but he knew something was up. Although he didn't understand what Hermione meant by "pushing her away." What had they done that made her think they didn't want her around?

Thinking back to Potions, the answer came to him. She had sat down at a table with them, but still stayed away. Harry had ignored her and only talked to Ron and Hermione. In fact, they all did. None of them even _tried _to start a conversation with her. He was about to get up and walk over to her when he saw Ginny enter the Great Hall. She saw Alex, and sat down with her. Soon they were having a very animated chat about who knows what.

Hermione also noticed and gave a small smile.

"Well, at least _someone _is making an effort." With that they started talking about the day's Potion lesson.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry was still fuming slightly when he got to Divination. Ron and Hermione's fighting always grated on his nerves, but he was worn so thin he finally snapped. He was almost glad he had Divination now, because it was his one class without Hermione. He didn't want grief from her about yelling at them. Even without Hermione there, however, Ron was sure to find a way to make him feel bad.

Sitting down at a table, Harry waited for about five minutes before Ron showed up. When he did, he looked around the room, then located Harry. Taking the seat next to him, Ron gave him a sideways glance, then cleared his throat.

"Me and Hermione have stopped fighting," he said, in a sad attempt to start a conversation. Harry merely grunted in reply. Ron then continued, "But Hermione says it would be good if you stopped taking your temper out on us." They were so preoccupied they hadn't noticed Alex come in and sit behind them.

This slightly annoyed Harry, and it must have been evident on his face, because Ron added, "Don't kill the messenger. She's the one who said it not me. But at the same time, I kind of agree with her. It's not our fault Seamus thinks your lying or that Snape hates you."

"I never said it-"

"Good afternoon," Professor Trelawney said. She hadn't changed at all since last year. With the same layers of shawls, giant glasses, and glittering jewelry, she looked as much like an over-sized insect as ever. Even her misty, dreamy voice was the same. Harry was still feeling annoyed, but it was now mixed with a slight feeling of shame. "Welcome back, class, to Divination. I watched you all over the holidays, and I am glad to see you return safely, as I knew you would. However, there is one student who has never been her before. Alex, m'dear?" she asked as she scanned the room looking for a new face.

Alex cleared her throat and raised her hand meekly over her head.

"Ah, yes, you look just as I saw you. Not surprising, though, of course. Now then, as you can see you each have a copy of _The Dream Oracle _in front of you. Since dream interpretation comes up often on your O.W.L.'s, it is good for you to be prepared. Please read the introduction, then find a partner and interpret your partner's most recent dream. Off you go."

Harry was glad it would be a short class. Double Divination would have easily killed him. After reading the introduction, he looked up, only to notice Alex raise her hand again. Professor Trelawney walked over to her.

"Yes dear?"

"I-I don't have a partner, Professor."

"Oh, yes, um, why don't you join Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley?"

"A-all right." She grabbed her stuff and moved over to their table. "Hi, Harry, Ron." Harry smiled at her, remembering Hermione's words from earlier. Ron gave a grunt similar to Harry's from earlier. Alex seemed to be hiding a snigger. Harry too was fighting a smile.

"What? What's so funny?" Ron was very confused.

Alex waved him off with a quick, "Nothing, nothing. Let's get on with this dream thing." She looked at Harry. "Want to tell us your dream first?"

"Uh, I really don't remember any dreams within the past month. What about you Ron?" Alex looked at him suspiciously. She could tell something was off by the way he blew off her question so quickly. Deciding not to push it, she too looked at Ron.

"Well, I don't remember my dreams that well either. I had one that I was playing Quidditch the other night..." He seemed to be working very hard to remember. "What do you reckon it means?"

"Probably that you're going to be eaten by a giant marshmallow or something,"* Harry said while idly turning pages in his book. This seemed to strike Alex as very funny, for she fell into a fit of laughter. Looking at each other, Ron and Harry couldn't help but start to laugh as well. Soon the entire class was staring at them while they tried to calm down. Finally succeeding, they only had time to finish looking up Ron's dream before Professor Trelawney interrupted them again.

"For homework, class, I would like you to keep a dream diary for a month." The bell rang, and Harry, Ron, and Alex descended the ladder one after the other. Together, they walked to meet up with Hermione. She looked very pleased to see them talking and laughing with Alex. She joined them, and they all walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex was so happy. She was finally making friends! Not only that, but one of them happened to be her twin brother! Not that he knew that, of course. At first she was sure he wouldn't want to even talk to her, especially with the way he was acting in Potions. But now, she sincerely thought he wanted to be her friend. She wasn't sure, but it was likely that Hermione had something to do with it. Either way, she wasn't going to complain.

Laughing about a joke Ron had just told, they walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. There, at the front, was a woman wearing a fluffy pink cardigan and a black velvet bow. She reminded Alex of a toad with a large fly perched on its head. There was a sickly sweet smile on her face that made Alex sure this wouldn't be a fun class.

Everyone else was very quiet when they entered. Seeing as everyone else had a chosen spot, Alex sat at an empty table by herself. Judging by the expressions on the other students' faces, they were trying to size up the teacher. She vaguely remembered hearing that her name was Professor Umbridge. In any case, the teacher stood up and said,

"Well, good afternoon!" There was a general mumble of reply, but nothing very distinct. Shaking her head at them, Professor Umbridge said, "Well that just _won't _do."

That's when Alex realized there was something up with this teacher.

* * *

***This a quote from _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_. I read it again the other day and knew I had to use that line. :)  
**

**Yay! Another one done! I'm still not sure if the quality is changing, but let me know if it is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I realize it's been one really long day. In fact, the next chapter is _still _the same day. I promise, after that time will go by slightly faster. I'm still trying to get Alex introduced to Hogwarts, and it's best to keep that within the first few days. Next chapter is gonna be a fun one, so keep your eyes peeled for it! Until next time...**

**Revieeeeeeeeeeeew! :) Please?  
**


	13. Shouting Match

**I'm really bored, so I'm writing a ton of chapters right now. My mom took my sister and cousins out on a day trip, and my brother and dad are at a soccer tournament, so I get to have the house to myself all day! :) Which means more chapters for you guys! Anyway, here's Chapter 13!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, blah blah blah, you guys get the point by now.  
**

* * *

Alex stared at Umbridge. There was no _way _she was going to treat them like that. Would she? They weren't five. But anyone who just listened to Umbridge would definitely think so.

"I would like you all to reply with, 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' Let's try this again. Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge." It was obvious there was not heart in it. The entire class used a monotone. Luckily, it seemed to be enough for Umbridge, for she continued.

"That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, quills out and wands away." By the grumble coming off the class, this meant it would be a boring lesson. Umbridge pulled out her own wand. It was very short, less than half the length of Alex's own wand. Tapping the board, these words appeared:

**Defense Against the Dark Arts**  
**A Return to Basic Principles***

"Since you have had a very fragmented education in this subject so far, you are quite behind the standards we would expect of you in your O.W.L. year. Fortunately, we will be rectifying that this year. With a safe, risk-free, Ministry approved course, we will teach you a perfected theory of defensive magic."

Once again rapping on the board, new words showed themselves in place of the first ones.

**Course aims:**  
**1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic****.  
2. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.  
3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.*  
**

"Now, class please copy these course aims," Umbridge said sweetly. Alex could tell there was something wrong. Umbridge looked too smug. Almost like a young child who knew they got away with something they weren't supposed to do. But, deciding not to upset the teacher, Alex diligently scribbled the course aims on her parchment. "Has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_?" There was another general mumble of assent. Alex, doing a mental face-palm, knew exactly what was going to happen.

"Now, let's try that again. I would like you to reply with 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' Do you all have your books?"

The same monotonous, "Yes, Professor Umbridge." She assigned them to read the first chapter, "Basics for Beginners." Alex bent her head to open the book when a sudden movement caught her eye. Across the room, Hermione's hand shot in the air. Smiling, Alex attempted to read, but nearly fell asleep within the first paragraph. She opted to instead wait to see when Umbridge noticed Hermione.

After about five minutes, Alex decided Umbridge saw Hermione but chose to ignore her. She continued to sit there with her hand straight up. Finally, more than half the class was watching, and Umbridge had no choice but to acknowledge Hermione's hand.

"Yes dear? Did you have a question about the chapter?"

"Actually, it's about the course aims."

"And what is your name?"

"Hermione Granger, Professor."

"If you read the course aims closely enough, they should make perfect sense." There was something in Umbridge's voice that was poisonous and scary, and Alex hoped Hermione would just back down. Unfortunately, Alex did not have ESP, and her friend didn't get the message.

"They make sense, but there isn't anything there about _using _defensive magic." Umbridge let out a little laugh.

"Using it? Why on Earth would you _need _to use magic in my classroom? I assure you you won't be attacked while in class, Miss Granger."

"Wait- we won't be using magic?" Ron asked bluntly.

"You must raise your hand to speak, Mr.-?

"Weasley," Ron said, raising his hand.

Umbridge smiled at him and turned her back. Alex looked around as Harry too raised his hand, followed by Hermione. It was evident by the look Umbridge gave Harry that he wasn't getting called on any time soon."

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Isn't the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts to learn and practice defensive spells?"

"Are you qualified to decide that? No, but the Ministry workers who have decided are. It will all be secure and risk-free, I assure you."

Harry opened his mouth, and Alex inwardly cringed. This would not be good.

"If we get attacked, it won't be risk free, will it? What's the point of not using spells in the classroom, then?"

"Hand, Mr. Potter." Alex didn't wonder for a second how she already knew his name. Umbridge had already turned from him and moved on to the boy who had kept staring at her in Potions.

"Your name?"

"Dean Thomas."

"Yes, Mr. Thomas?"

"Well, as Harry said, it's not going to be "secure and risk-free" out in the real world."

Umbridge turned away from him.

"Not to criticize the school, but your teaching so far in this unit has been out of hand. Too many dangerous and unqualified teachers have been able to get things into your brain. Even dangerous half-breeds."

Dean retorted angrily, "If you mean Professor Lupin, he was ten-times-"

"_Hand, _Mr. Thomas!" She moved away and continued. "You were taught by a man who drilled it into your minds that you'll be attacked every five minutes, but I assure you, you're perfectly safe."

"He didn't tell us that-" Hermione started.

"_Raise your hand, _Miss Granger!" The same process that had happened already a lot repeated itself. The topic of O.W.L.'s was brought up, where they were assured theory would be enough. Harry, however, once again brought up the real world.

"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world."

"So, now we just get to go out into the real world unprepared for what's out there?"

"What in the world are you talking about? Who would want to attack children such as yourselves?" Alex had been growing angrier and angrier this entire time, until she was ready to join the argument.

She and Harry stood and burst out at the same time, "Maybe Lord Voldemort?" At this Hermine gasped, Lavender screamed, and many other student's flinched. Both their heads snapped to look at the other. How had they just said the exact same thing? Umbridge looked back and forth between the two of them with a satisfied expression on her face.

"20 points from Gryffindor. Now, Mr. Potter and Miss-"

"Thompson, and that's not fair, we're only speaking our minds."

"Now it's 30 points, and it'll be more if you don't sit down right now." Half the class was staring at either Harry or Alex. The others were all glaring at Umbridge. Alex knew she should sit down, but she still wanted to stand up** to Umbridge. "Now then, you have been told there is a Dark wizard is at large again. This. Is. A. _Lie._"

"It is NOT! I saw him, I fought him, and I nearly died because of it!" Umbridge was still glaring at him. Alex knew she had to do something to save Harry from getting in too much trouble.

"Why would you deny it? Is the Ministry afraid of Voldemort? Or are they just afraid to admit the truth? Personally, I think that makes them a bunch of cowards." It took a lot of work to keep her from covering her own mouth. Alex had no idea where that came from, but she knew she had to keep Harry out of trouble.

"Detention, Miss Thompson. My office, this evening. Now then, as I was saying..." Alex stopped listening as she looked at the other students. Everyone was gaping at her, even Harry. He had seated himself again, so she was the only one standing. "You may continue reading now." Harry glanced back at Alex, then once again rose out of his seat.

"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?" Harry asked, voice shaking.

Everyone in the room besides Alex and Umbridge gasped. Harry never mentioned Cedric or how he died. They all whirled around to see Umbridge's reaction.

Taking a calming breath, she said, "Cedric's death was a tragic accident that came from the Triwizard Tournament."

"It was murder and you know it!" Alex had once again regained her voice. It was evident that they had the entire class captivated. "Voldemort killed him! Why are you so determined to make Harry look like a liar?"

Umbridge stared at her with a cold expression. After a few moments, she said in a dangerously sweet voice, "Miss Thompson, Mr. Potter, come here." Alex got there first and Umbridge handed her a pink piece of parchment. Looking at it, she saw it was addressed to Professor McGonagall. "Both of you, go your Head of House's office. Now."

Alex gave Harry a sideways glance and he returned a nearly imperceptible nod. They walked out of the room together. Once in the hallway, out of earshot, he stopped and stared at her.

"What the heck was that for?" Bewildered, Alex took a step back.

"Wh-what d'you mean?"

"I mean, why did you let yourself get in trouble for me? Honestly! I can handle myself, thanks." At this, Alex lost her cool.

"Handle yourself? Well then next time, don't blow up at Umbridge. Next time, just keep your head down. I had to do that my entire life to stay alive. Maybe you should try it some time. And in case you didn't notice, I probably reduced your punishment because I yelled at her too." Harry watched her, amazed. How did this girl who was shy and would barely talk earlier that day suddenly become so, well, out there? He muttered a quick apology, ashamed of how he acted when she was only trying to help him.

Alex smiled at him. "I'm sorry, too. I can get very ticked off some times, in case you hadn't noticed." He returned the smile, and they continued the McGonagall's office, wondering what sort of punishment was in store for them.

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***These were copied straight from the book. Just in case you recognized them.**

****There was no pun intended there, but I did catch that when I wrote it. I was just too lazy to change it.  
**

**Thanks again for reading! I had a fun time with this once, because I love this part of the book, and I was happy to change it to fit in Alex. I hope you liked it too, and remember:  
**

**Review! ;)  
**


	14. Tall Tales

**Another chapter! I hope you don't feel like I'm going through this too fast. Let me know if I am. Also, I want to know, should I do what J.K. Rowling did and after the battle, skip ahead 19 years, or should I actually write some stuff in between? It's a bit early, but I wanted to know now so I can write the plot of the in between time if necessary. Anyway, here's Chapter 14!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, never will. :P  
**

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Professor McGonagall just had an aura of authority about her. Especially now, when she was just sitting there looking at Harry and Alex. Staring at his feet, Harry realized they were probably in major trouble. McGonagall did _not _look happy. That's why it took her by surprise when she almost smiled.

"Have a biscuit." What? harry looked at Alex and saw she was just as confused. McGonagall watched them both. "Well, go on!" she prompted. They each cautiously took one. "Is this true? You both shouted at her, called her and the Ministry various names, and told the class He-Who-Must-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?" Alex nodded sheepishly.

Harry quickly said, "But we were telling the truth!"

"I know that, Potter, but Dolores Umbridge will use any excuse she can to get you in trouble. You know where she comes from and to whom she is reporting. And Miss Thompson, you need to be careful as well. It is very kind of you to stick up for Mr. Potter, but if Umbridge sees you doing it, you may very well be sharing the consequences." Alex looked at her feet, obviously very embarrassed. Harry felt awful, because if it wasn't for him none of this would have happened.

McGonagall looked at them both with a mixed expression of pity and warning. He could tell she knew what he was thinking.

"Well now," McGonagall said brusquely,"it says here Mr. Potter will have detention every day for a week starting tomorrow evening at 5 o'clock." Harry was horrified. Every day?

"Professor, can't you-"

"No, Potter, I'm sorry. As for you, Miss Thompson, it is every day for a-" she faltered, staring at the parchment. "Every day for a month, starting tonight at 5 o'clock." Any self-pity Harry had instantly vanished. That was horrible! What did Alex do to deserve the when he himself only got a week?

Looking at her, he saw she was just standing there with her head hung. Harry wanted to say something kind or comforting, but the worlds just wouldn't come. He instead sat in the very awkward pause. The bell rang, so he and Alex exited the office without a word exchanged between them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

During dinner Alex sat with them again. She was mostly the same, just slightly quieter. In fact, she almost seemed _too _normal, like she was trying to act like she was alright.

Harry could see why she would want to seem okay, though. It seemed like the news about the shouting match had traveled around the school already. Everyone was talking about it, and there seemed to be some rumors floating around with it.

"You know that new girl, Alex? Apparently she's Harry Potter's new girlfriend!"

"Did you hear about that girl Alex yelling at Umbridge? Yeah, everyone thinks she a nutter just like Potter."

"I'll bet that Alex girl is really Harry Potter's long lost twin sister. I mean, how else would she believe his story?"

Harry truly found the last one comical. How could he have a twin sister nobody knew about? Come on. That was way to far-fetched. In fact, it was something a lot of people would say was "a tale worthy of Harry Potter."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex was horrified. Has someone learned her secret? She had tried her hardest to cover her scar, and not let on anything suspicious about her life before now. That kid who had been talking about her being Harry's twin sounded really serious, and a lot of people were listening. If they believed him, then what would happen? She just hoped she wouldn't find out.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sitting in front of the fire always soothed Alex. The warmth and the flickering light gave the common room a homey touch. Unfortunately, she had detention, and had to leave now. Standing and stretching, she made her way over towards the portrait hole, but was intercepted by Harry.

"Alex, look, I-" she cut him off with a look. She knew what he was going to say, and it wasn't necessary.

"Harry, you don't need to apologize. It wasn't your fault. I didn't have to defend you, I chose to. That's what friends do." Smiling, she held out her hand. A grin broke out on Harry's face. He grasped her extended hand and they shook. Then tossing her hair over her shoulder, Alex climbed through the portrait hole and towards Umbridge's office.

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**Sorry this chapter was a bit short. I decided this would be the best place to end it so as to transition into the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you liked it! Remember, review! **


	15. Detention

**I'm back again! My mom has been dragging me all over with her lately, so I've just brought my notebook and wrote more. That's why the chapters have been so frequent. Also, my cousins are gone, as is my little sister, so I have peace and quiet to enjoy. :) Anyway, here's the new chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. I wish I didn't have to put that there, I really do.  
**

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Her hand felt like it was on fire. Whatever horrible magic was in that quill of Umbridge's was obviously supposed to cause a lot of pain. It worked. Not only that, but Alex now had "Harry Potter is a liar" carved into her hand. It was bleeding profusely, so she'd have to bandage it and hope nobody noticed.

Alex climbed back through the portrait hole. There, sleeping in a chair by the fire was Harry. She assumed he had tried to stay up to wait for hr but fell asleep. It wasn't surprising. It _was _past midnight. Deciding it would be better for him to sleep in his own bed, she shook him awake with her uninjured hand.

"Wha- oh, Alex! How, er, how was your detention?" he stuttered. Alex sighed, knowing by the way he was acting that he still felt bad.

Hiding her hurt hand behind her back, she replied, "It wasn't too bad, she only made me do lines." She felt guilty about not telling him about the quill, for he would undoubtedly have to suffer through it with her the next night.

As they were going towards their dormitories, she stopped.

"Hey, Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Er, never mind."

"Oookay..."

"G'night."

"Night."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next morning at breakfast, Alex kept her hand covered by her sleeve. Eating clumsily with her left, Hermione gave her a couple strange looks, but didn't mention it. Eventually, though, Alex made the mistake of putting her hand on the table, uncovered.

"Alex, what happened to your hand?" Hermione asked, worried.

"Uh, it's nothing, just a scratch..." Something in Alex's tone gave Hermione a tip that she was lying. Before Alex had time to react, Hermione had grabbed her hand and was taking off the bandage. "Ow! Hermione, that hurts!"

"Sorry, but next time just _tell _me instead of forcing me to look myself. I almost have it off," Hermione retorted. When she pulled the bandage all the way off, she gasped. "Alex, Harry told me Umbridge set you _lines!_" Curious, Harry leaned across the table to see what was up. Seeing Alex's hand, he looked at her, bewildered.

"What did she do to you?"

Shaking her sleeve back over it, Alex said, "She has a special quill that when you write with it, it carves whatever you're writing into your hand."

"And she made you write 'Harry Potter is a liar'?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not like I had much of a choice!" she said defensively. Harry backed off, raising his hands in mock surrender. She rolled her eyes. It was funny, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of a laugh.

"This is awful. You have to report it to Professor McGonagall," Hermione said.

"No! It'll just give her the satisfaction of knowing she's getting to me." Harry watched her as she said this, then nodded slowly.

"She's right, Hermione. We don't want to give Umbridge any more feeling of power than she already has." Alex was relieved he agreed with her. Arguing was easier with someone else on your side.

"Thing is, Harry, you might change your mind after she has you write with it. It looks like it hurts a lot!" Hermione stated. She then turned to Alex and gave her a look that clearly said "You know I'm right." Alex just sighed.

Looking around the Great Hall, she noticed a lot of people were still talking about their shouting match with Umbridge. Many of them seemed to be doubting the authenticity of Harry's story.

"Does he really think You-Know-Who murdered Diggory?"

"He reckons he dueled with the Dark Lord!"

"Who does he think he's kidding?"

"Puh-lease!"

Alex was surprised and annoyed by this. How could they believe Umbridge and the Ministry instead of Harry? Then again, the more she thought about it, the more she realized they had a point. There was no proof, only Harry's word, although was true, isn't worth all that much. She wished there was a way to show them Voldemort, but if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.

* * *

Now Harry knew exactly how much it had hurt Alex to be in detention the night before. They were both sitting in Umbridge's office, scratching away on the parchment and their skin. Harry was sure that these would leave scars. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly want "I must not tell lies" written on his hand for the rest of his life.

Harry could hear Alex shift from time to time. He knew she was resisting the urge to flinch. Guessing it was worse the second time through, he felt really sorry for her. He himself wanted to flinch just thinking about having to do this for a month. He once again felt terrible for what had happened, even though she had told him to forget it.

It was obvious that Umbridge was enjoying their pain. She sat at her desk, facing them with a smug little smile on her face. She was drinking tea and pretending to read a book, but they all knew that's all she was doing.

Finally Umbridge seemed to decide it was enough for he night.

"Hem hem! Mr. Potter, your hand." Cautiously Harry extended his hand towards her. She grabbed it, and examined it. The cuts had healed over already, but the skin around them was red and inflamed. It hurt like crazy, just as Alex had said. Umbridge gave a satisfied nod, then turned to Alex. With no words exchanged, Alex held out her right hand.

It looked much worse than Harry's did. The cuts were open a bleeding. Like, a lot. It wasn't enough to make him worried, but it still wasn't good. Umbridge prodded the cuts with her stubby finger, and Alex's eyes squeezed shut. He was amazed she was able to not flinch or jerk her hand away.

Harry glared at Umbridge, furious. How could she be willing to put her students through so much pain? He felt very protective of Alex, almost in a brother to sister kind of way. He had no idea why, but decided to go along with it. Just standing there, he glared at Umbridge until she finally released Alex, and they left the office.

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**Sorry this chapter isn't great. I had another migraine while writing it. I hope you still liked it! I want to thank you guys (again, I know) for reading. It's really only the fact that every chapter at least one new person follows or favorites that keeps me going. I see that more people have read it, and I know it's worth it to keep it up. So thanks for keeping me going, I really appreciate it! **


	16. Tryouts

**Another chapter! Nothing important to say, so here's chapter 16!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

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Then next few days were hectic and painful. He had tons of homework, and each night he and Alex didn't get back until around midnight. They would then sit in the common room for hours scrambling to finish the work due the next day. Harry knew he wasn't getting enough sleep. By the time he finished his assignments each night, it would be after two, and often closer to three.

Every day Harry just got more and more tired. The strangest thing was, Ron seemed to be worn out too, although Harry couldn't see any reason why. Alex was developing dark circles under her eyes. Often at meals she wouldn't talk at all, and once she fell asleep with her head next to her plate. Her hand seemed to be constantly bleeding. She refused to go to Madame Pomfrey, however. Instead, she brewed a Blood Replentishing Potion with a spare cauldron she found. Harry was amazed by her skill at Potions.

By Thursday, Harry's cuts were no longer healing over. He wished he didn't have to miss the Quidditch tryouts tomorrow, but there was no way Umbridge would let him off. He wanted to see who would make Keeper now that Wood was gone. He hoped it would be someone good, because they really needed it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On the way back to Gyffindor Tower, Harry thought he heard unusual noise down a different corridor. He told Alex to go back without him, but of course she followed him. They looked down the hallway, and it was Alex who caught the shoe poking out from behind the statue of Lachlan the Lanky.

"Hey! Wait, Ron?"

Ron jumped, very surprised. He obviously hadn't heard them. Trying to hide his broomstick behind him, he looked like he was searching for the right words. Harry got his voice back first.

"What are you doing?"

"Um, uh, n-nothing! What are _you _doing?" Harry frowned at him.

"We had detention, remember? We're your friends, you can tell us what you're doing!" Ron looked down at his feet, obviously embarrassed.

"I was, er, I was hiding from Fred and George. They're testing their stuff on first years again, but they take them out of the common room in the middle of the night to do it. You know, because Hermione makes sure that they don't do it in there." He was talking very fast, almost feverishly.

"And why would you need your broom? Were you flying away from them?" Alex inquired.

"Don't laugh, okay? Please? I though, that maybe, because, you know, I've got a decent broom, I could try out for, uh, Gryffindor Keeper. Go ahead. Laugh." Alex and Harry looked at each other.

"Ron, that's great! It's a brilliant idea! It would be so cool to have you on the team! Are you good at Keeper?" Harry asked.

"I'm all right. My brothers always had me Keep for them during the holidays."

"So you've been out practicing?"

"Yeah, but it's not easy on your own. Never try to bewitch Quaffles to fly at you. It's a bad idea."

"I wish I could come to tryouts! It would be cool to see you play!" Harry said bitterly as they started walking back to Gryffindor tower. Suprisingly, Alex said, "So do I." Both the boys looked at her, startled. "What?" she asked defensively. "I've never seen Quidditch played before! It would be cool!"

"You've never seen a game of Quidditch?" both boys asked incredulously.

"Nope. I've heard of it, and I sorta know the rules and positions, but I've never actually seen a match."

"Well, we'll definitely have to introduce you to it. It is the best sport in the world," Ron stated. Alex smiled, then stumbled a bit. Both the boys grabbed her arms reflexively to keep her upright. She looked weak and tired.

"Alex, are you okay?" Harry asked concernedly.

"Yeah, m'alright. Just tired." Harry had to agree with that. It was late, and neither of them had been getting enough sleep.

"Come on, let's go to bed."

"But we have homework!" This hadn't occured to Harry.

"I'll do your for you."

"No, I couldn't make you do that. I'll manage." Harry would have argued, but seeing how stubborn she looked even in her sleep-deprived state, he didn't say anything. Ron glanced at their hands.

"You know, I still reckon you should go to McGonagall. Or Dumbledore!"

"No, I'm not bothering Dumbledore. He's got enough on his mind at the moment."

"Come on Harry, the old hag-" He was cut off tby the Fat Lady. None of them had noticed they had arrived at Gryffindor Tower.

"Are you going to give me the password or not? I don't want to stay awake all night waiting for you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Detention on Friday was difficult for both Alex and Harry. He was wishing he was out on the Quidditch pitch with the rest of his team. She wished that her hand would be given a chance to stop bleeding.

Alex was also wishing to be out in the stands, but she knew it wasn't going to happen. What she really wanted was to play Quidditch. She had read enough about it that she was really interested. The position she liked the best was Chaser, but Seeker didn't seem too bad either. Of course, if she wanted to play for Gryffindor, Seeker wan't an option. That was Harry's position, and there was no way she would take that from him.

With every new time she wrote "Harry Potter is a liar.", more blood seeped into the bandages on her hand. She would have to change them after this. Every once and a while she stole a glance at Umbridge. She looked particularly smug today. Maybe it was because Harry was missing the tryouts. She didn't know.

Finally Umbridge decided it was time to let them go. She reached for Harry's hand, because it was his last day. As she grabbed it, a pain shot through Alex's forehead. She jumped, her hand reflexively going towards it. Harry had jumped too. She thought it was just because Umbridge grabbed his hand, but maybe that wasn't it. Maybe it was the scars!

Umbridge released Harry and let them go. Alex was trying to get through her head what the pain meant. Last time it hurt she had seen Voldemort, torturing Harry. What was it now? Harry had been right next to her, so it couldn't have been him hurting Harry, so what was it?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Upon entering Gryffindor Tower, they were met by a large noise. It surprised them both, because each was lost in their own thoughts. An elated Ron ran up to them.

"I made it! I'm Keeper!" Alex forced a smile on her face. She congratulated him, then made her way through the crowd and up to her dormitory. She needed sleep, and time to think about her scar.

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**This chapter was a little boring. Sorry. Hopefully the next one will be more interesting. I also want to know, do you guys think I should do more from Alex's side? I feel like I've been doing too much of Harry, but I'm not sure. Let me know. Thanks for reading!**

**Review!  
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	17. Godfather

**Hey! Sorry about not posting a chapter earlier today, I was really busy and didn't have time to write. There are probably going to be bigger gaps between chapters now, so don't worry if there are a couple days between updates. Anyway, here's Chapter 17!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
**

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Alex spent her Saturday in a sleep-deprived haze. She didn't take in much going on outside of her head, and all she really wanted was a good long nap. Unfortunately, that would not be what she got.

During breakfast, Alex didn't really hear what Harry, Ron, and Hermione were talking about. She heard Harry mention a man named Sturgis Podmore going to Azkaban for attempting to break into the Ministry of Magic. It sounded interesting, but she was currently too tired to care. Hermione wanted to start on homework right away, but Harry and Ron had other plans. Apparently they needed to go practice Quidditch, although they had a real team practice after lunch.

Alex joined Hermione in the common room after breakfast. They sat there for hours, poring over books and parchment. Finally, just before lunch, they both finished at around the same time. They walked to the Great Hall together, meeting up with the red-faced boys.

Both were in a good mood, and obviously exhilarated from their flying. Even Alex, in her stupor, could see that. She could also sense that although Hermione seemed disapproving, she was actually finding it humorous. Giving a small smile, Alex managed to wake up enough to hear Harry invite her to come watch their Quidditch practice.

"So, do you want to come?"

"I'd love to Harry, but I can't. I have to be in the castle by five anyway. You know, detention." Harry shifted a bit at this. He had indeed forgotten she had detention still.

"Er, right. Maybe some other time?" She smiled.

"Yeah, sure!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Alex, wake up!"

"What?" Alex asked groggily. She didn't remember falling asleep.

"You have to hurry! You're going to be late to your detention with Umbridge!" This woke Alex up all the way. There was no way she could be late! It could earn her an extra week of detention!

Quickly, she scrambled out of her chair, meaning to gather up her supplies. She was surprised to find Hermione holding out her already packed bag.

"I figured it would save you some time to pack it for you." Alex thanked her hurriedly then scrambled out the portrait hole. Half jogging and half sprinting, she ran across the castle, just barely making it to Umbridge's office in time. She was out of breath and quite relieved. Umbridge seemed almost disappointed that she had made it in time.

"Well, you know what to do, Miss Thompson." Alex sat down and started writing her lines again. It was going to be a long night.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Finally finished with her detention of the night, Alex went back through the portrait hole very quietly. There were sometimes people asleep in the common room, and she didn't want to disturb them.

She was surprised by the sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione gathered around the fireplace. They were talking intently to _something_ in there, but what she couldn't imagine. It was obvious they hadn't seen her, so she crept around to see what it was. The sight she had to behold was very shocking. In fact, it made Alex scream.

Definitely hearing her, the trio's heads snapped around. Alex was standing motionless, frozen with horror. For sitting in the fire was a man's head. Not just any man, however, but Sirius Black!

She was about to yell out his name when all of a sudden there was a hand cupped over her mouth. Harry was standing in front of her, a scared expression on his face. A small pop came from behind him, and Black's head was gone. What had he been doing in the fire?

Seeing Alex wasn't going to scream or yell again, Harry took his hand away from her face. She stared at him, wondering why on Earth he would be talking to the head of Sirius Black.

"Harry-"

"Alex, you have to listen to me. Please," he said quietly and urgently. "I know you saw Sirius Black's head in that fire, we can explain-"

"Explain what?" she exploded. "The fact that there was a head in the fire? Or the fact that the very same head belongs to a murderer?" Harry's hand was at her mouth again, but she pushed it off. "What secrets are you keeping, Harry Potter?"

Harry stared at Alex. So did Ron and Hermione. Finally, Harry sighed and went to sit down on a chair. Slowly, Alex followed him.

"Alex, I need you to promise not to tell anyone this, okay?" Ron and Hermione shifted their gaze to instead stare at him.

"Harry, you can't-" Hermione started. He cut her off.

"Yes, Hermione, I can. She's trustworthy, she deserves to know. Alex, Sirius Black isn't who most people think he is. In fact, he's my godfather."

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**Yeah, this one's a bit short, but I'm still trying to work my way out of a writer's block. Sorry, but if you have any suggestions on how to improve, please let me know with a...**

**...Review!  
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**Guest Review Reply:  
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**Ellie: Thanks! I'll try, but it's hard with writer's block. I hope you liked this chapter!  
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	18. High Inquisitor

**Yay! I finally got to this one! I've been busy, plus my creativity bar went way low after trying to draw a good picture. Yeah, I'm not very creative. Can you tell? I hope you can't just because of this story, but if you can, oh well. Thanks for reading, and to those of you who reviewed! And now, Chapter 18!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter.  
**

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Alex stared at Harry. He had to be joking. There was no way he just said that Sirius Black, the mass murderer, was his godfather. It couldn't have been true, there was no way! She kept staring, hoping he would say that he was kidding.

Harry stared back with a set expression on his face. He knew she was shocked, but he had hoped she would take it better than this. Knowing it was a lot to take in, he let them sit in silence for a while before speaking again.

"Look, Alex, there's more to it than that. You don't have to say anything, just listen, okay?" She nodded. "Okay, first of all, do you know who Peter Pettigrew is?" She nodded again, then looked confused.

"Wait, Wormtail?" Harry was surprised. How did she know his schoolboy nickname?

"Yeah, why?"

"He was a ser-" She stopped, knowing she almost let slip that she was lying about her past. "He-he was friend of my fathers." Harry had caught her slip up, but still couldn't figure out what it meant. He glanced at Hermione, who he could see had also caught it.

"Oookay... anyway, I guess this'll make more sense to you then. Have you seen him in the last 14 years?"

"Yeah, he stayed at my house this summer."

"Pettigrew is supposed to be dead. You see, when my parents were hiding from Voldemort, they used the Fidelius charm. Wormtail was their Secret Keeper. Everyone though it was Sirius, though. When Wormtail betrayed my parents, people though Sirius had done it. The story went that Wormtail found Sirius, and Sirius killed him and all those Muggles. Truthfully, what happened was Sirius found Wormtail. Wormtail blew up the street, killed the Muggles, and cut off his own finger. He was an Animagus, so he became a rat, and ran away. He became a pet for Ron's family, and lived with them for 12 years. In our third year, Sirirus came to Hogwarts, and we revealed Pettigrew with the help of their other school friend Remus Lupin. Pettigrew escaped, though, so we had no evidence of Sirius's innocence. He's in hiding right now."

Alex felt really confused. Wormtail was supposed to be dead? And Sirius Black was innocent? It sent her head spinning. Not knowing what to say, she just nodded dumbly. Harry seemed to sense her confusion and smiled.

"I get that this is really hard to understand. It took us," he gestured towards himself, Ron, and Hermione, "a while too. Just give it a few days to sink in, okay?"

"Okay," Alex said, lost in her thoughts. "'I'm going to go to bed. 'Night."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex didn't sleep at all that night. She had just been told that a man she had believed to be a murderer was actually innocent. Sirius Black, the first man to escape Azkaban, was Harry's-_her_-godfather! It's a bit hard to clear your mind when all of that is running through it.

After laying in bed for three hours, Alex finally gave up and went down to the common room. She sat in the armchair closest to the fire, staring at the flickering flames. She almost wished Black's head would show up again, so she could talk to him. It would be good to hear the story from him too. Then again, if he was a good friend of her parents', he might recognize her. Maybe he knew she existed.

It was that thought that brought Alex back to Earth. She needed to find someone who knew she had existed in the first place. But who could she go to without arousing suspicion? It's not like she could ask Dumbledore. Or McGonagall. Umbridge wasn't even the tiniest of possibilities. She made a mental note to keep an eye and ear out for anyone trustworthy enough. And ignorant enough.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Breakfast that morning was more eventful than usual. Apparently, Ron had gotten a letter from his older brother saying that they should pay close attention to the Daily Prophet that morning.

When the owl dropped the paper in front of Hermione, she let out a gasp.

"Hermione, what is it?" Ron asked worriedly. In reply, she pointed at the cover, where a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge was smiling up at them.  
Above it was a headline stating:

**MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM**  
**DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR"**

"'High Inquisitor?'" Harry asked. "What does that mean?"

Hermione proceeded to read the article out loud, interrupted by Ron when a quote from his brother stated, "'..._and of course she's been an immediate success-" _

"WHAT?" Ron said, very loudly. Hermione shushed him then finished the article. They had a quick discussion about it, but Alex was only half listening.

If Umbridge now had higher power than before, she was going to have to be careful. She had been very nonchalant about her secret up until now, but the stakes were being raised. There was a high-ranking Ministry official here, and she seemed out to get Alex. It may have just been her closeness to Harry, but either way, she was going to have to be on the constant alert. Also, she had very nearly let something slip when she was talking to Harry. If someone figured out who she really was before she was ready (particularly Harry), she would be in some serious trouble.

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**I feel like I am not succeeding with the writing these days. I don't know why, but I feel like the quality is deteriorating. Anyway, thanks for reading, even if you agree with me. I appreciate it, and we're getting near 3,000 views! :) Remember, and author always enjoys getting reviews! **

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	19. Inspection

**I think I'm finally out of my writer's block, but we'll see. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it. Just want to let you know I won't be able to update until at least Thursday, cuz I'm going camping. Anyway, I'll try to make this one good. Chapter 19!**

**Disclaimer: Man nepieder Hariju Poteru  
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**First person to tell me what language that's in gets virtual cookies and a special shout-out! :)  
**

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History of Magic was boring as usual. Umbridge wasn't inspecting, though, so that was good. Potions was the same too. Snape picked on Harry, and Draco got away with doing things no one else would have been able to. They got back their homework, which had been graded by the OWL standards. Alex had received an A, which she was rather proud of. After all, at least she had passed!

Alex felt horrible after getting a glimpse at Harry's paper, though. He had gotten a D, which was nearly the worst possible grade. She wished there was a way to help, but during lunch, he just kept quiet so she couldn't say anything without it looking weird. Ron's twin brothers Fred and George, plus their friend Lee Jordan, sat with them and talked about grades. It was comical to Alex that the lowest grade was a T, standing for Troll.

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After eating, Alex left with Ron and Harry to go to Divination, while Hermione went to whatever class she had. She was surprised to find Umbridge in the Divination tower, obviously there to inspect the lesson. Everyone fell silent quickly, which drew Professor Trelawney's attention. Umbridge used that to make herself known.

"I assume you got my note?" she inquired. Professor Trelawney nodded curtly, then proceeded with her class as normal. Of course, her voice had slightly lost their misty tones, and the existing ones were more forced. Everyone divided into pairs, except for Harry, Ron, and Alex, who stayed as a threesome.

"Quick, someone think of a dream in case the old toad decides to come over here!" Ron said hurriedly.

"Um, let's see..." Harry thought. "Let's say I dreamed, er, that I was drowning Snape in my cauldron! Yeah, that'll work." Ron and Alex laughed while opening their books to figure out the "true meaning" of the dream. Harry's attention was on the two professors, who were only a table away now.

Umbridge was asking Trelawney a lot of questions, but many of them seemed more like accusations than questions. In fact, one of them was about Dumbledore appointing her! So Umbridge was still pressing the point the Dumbledore was "off his rocker." Of course.

Professor Trelawney sort of panicked when Umbridge asked her to make a prediction. Truthfully, Alex found it kind of lame. Still, she didn't like the amused expression on Umbridge's face. It made her want to slap it right off. Not that she was going to.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Defense Against the Dark Arts was a nightmare. Hermione had gone into a small argument with Umbridge. It got five points taken away, but it didn't stop there. Despite both Alex's and Hermione's protests, Harry decided he needed to get involved. Of course, that didn't end well.

After making a snide remark about Quirrell, Harry was given another week's worth of detentions. Alex was very mad, and wanted nothing more than to stand up and yell at Umbridge, but she knew there was no use, at least not right now. Maybe some other time, they would have a chance against her. But not in this setting, where she was the superior.

That evening, both Harry and Alex sat side by side, writing out their lines. By now, Alex had learned to tune out the pain, so it still hurt but it was a dull throbbing. Harry, on the other hand **[****no pun intended :)] **wasn't used to it anymore, and it hurt a lot. She wished she could do something for him, but had no idea what. At least it was only another week.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

At the end of that evening's detention, Umbridge sent Harry out but kept Alex in. It was scary, being in there alone with just Umbridge and her huge smile.

"Well, Miss Thompson, I am very pleased with the way you have been acting. I see you have finally come to sense on who is telling the truth." Alex forced a nod, not agreeing but hopeful for where this was going. Obviously it paid off, because Umbridge's smile widened.

"Because of your good behavior, I will allow you to be done with detention after tonight. But remember, Harry Potter cannot be trusted." Nodding again, Alex forced a quick smile and muttered a good-bye, heading out the door.

Harry was outside waiting for her.

"What happened?"

"She let me off. I don't have detention any more." She smiled, hoping he would be happy. And he was. He grinned, glad that she no longer had to endure the pain. But a sudden though struck him. He stopped smiling instantly. "Harry, what is it?"

"Angelina."

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**I hope you liked it, I know it was a bit short. I'll try to write a couple more chapters while I'm gone, but my hand-written chapters are never as good. Oh well. Anyway, thanks for reading, hopefully I'll have a new chapter on Thursday!**

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	20. Identity

**It's Thursday! New chapter time! :) I have a couple of things to put; first off, chapter 20! I was excited to get here, and I have no idea why. Anyway, also, we've hit 3,313 views, 33 reviews, 20 followers, and 16 favorites. Thanks to everyone who has done any of those, you really make me happy. Special shout-out to MistBlade8 for guessing the correct language: Latvian! And kudos to fatcatbeatrice, who brought up another thing my nerdiness specializes in, Star Wars! So now, chapter 20!****  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter  
**

**Oh, also, I would REEEEEEEEALLY appreciate it if you would read the note at the bottom and respond, I really need the feedback. Thanks!  
**

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Harry was right about what he should be afraid of. Tuesday, in the Great Hall, Angelina cornered him. She started shouting at him, but McGonagall intervened. Of course, McGonagall was not happy when she found out why and from whom Harry had detention. Matters were even worse when Hermione agreed with McGonagall, who had taken five points from Gryffindor.

Alex wanted to help, but something inside of her was keeping her from being as friendly as she would have liked. She had been like this ever since her slip-up. Unfortunately, since she wasn't as close to Harry and his friends anymore, there wasn't anyone she knew all that well. Except for Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom. They were all really nice to her, so she was with them more often than usual.

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Transfiguration that day was interesting to say the least. It was their first inspected lesson. Having Umbridge in class for an extra period was anything but fun. At least McGonagall knew how to handle her.

Unfortunately, Umbridge was also inspecting Care of Magical Creatures. Alex had never met the regular teacher, Professor Hagrid. He was currently on extended leave, but Harry was good friends with him. He was supposed to be intimidating at first, but actually really gentle and kind.

The replacement teacher was really good, though. Professor Grubbly-Plank was courteous to Umbridge, but when asked how she felt about the management of the school, she gave Dumbledore a very good review.

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Alex lagged behind the other students after class. The entrance hall was empty by the time she got there. She wanted to head to her dormitory quickly, so she decided to take a shortcut. Along the way there were a lot of unused classrooms. It was very surprising to her when she walked by one to have someone reach out and pull her in.

Whirling around, Alex found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy. She glared at him, still not happy with his family at all. He smirked back, and she realized what was going on.

"So, _Thompson, _how has Hogwarts been for you?"

"Drop the act, Draco. You aren't fooling anyone."

"Alright, I'll 'drop the act.' We both know it isn't any secret between us who you are. And we both also know you don't want anyone _else_ to know. That leaves you in a bad position, because if I'm not happy, I might just accidentally let something slip." Alex continued glaring.

"Are you blackmailing me, Draco?"

"I'm glad you caught on fast. Just keep that in mind if you want your identity to stay safe." Before Alex could react, Draco raised his wand and siphoned the makeup off of her forehead. "I see you go through some good lengths to keep that covered. Hopefully Potter won't find it, otherwise things might get interesting, eh?"

With a final smirk, he stalked out of the classroom, leaving a fuming Alex behind.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Trying to process what he just heard, Harry darted behind a statue just as Malfoy left the room. Keep her identity safe? So she _was _hiding something. Apparently, she wasn't who she said she was. Who was she really? What was she keeping covered? How did Malfoy find out? And why wouldn't she want him, Harry, to know?

Harry knew finding out would be hard. He decided to just keep an eye out for anything suspicious Alex might be doing, while at the same time try to act normal. If she was potentially dangerous, he didn't want her to know he was on to her.

A sudden thought struck him. Malfoy's family, keeping something covered, him not knowing; was she a Death Eater? Harry knew she was young, but maybe Polyjuice Potion? Or their just inducting people earlier and earlier. It would explain what she had to keep something covered. All Death Eaters had the Dark Mark branded on their arm. It wasn't something she could just show off at a school.

He would have to tell Ron and Hermione what he had heard. Although Harry would probably leave out his suspicions of her being a Death Eater. Hermione would definitely scorn it, and Ron would be skeptical. He needed to tell _someone _though! The answer came to him quickly. Sirius.

* * *

**Okay, first the thing I mentioned at the top: I sorta feel like I've been going through this too slowly. Is it a good pace, or do I need to pick it up a little? Review or PM me your answer. **

**Also, I apologize for the slightly shorter chapter. I decided since it had some exciting stuff in it, leaving it short would be okay. Anyway, I hope you liked it. :) Thanks for reading!  
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	21. Suspicions

**Wow, okay. You guys seemed to like the last chapter, but not where I left it off. Anna [Guest] and OpenBookLina both gave reviews telling me to update right away. Sooo, I'm posting another chapter! :) Oh, also, I might not be updating much in the next week, because I'm going to the beach, and I will have WiFi, but my only computer will be the laptop my mother uses for online college. So I'll try to put up at least one chapter, but if not, it'll have to wait until Saturday. Just a heads up. Now, chapter 21!  
**

**Disclaimer: Eu nu detin Harry Potter.  
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**Guess the language!  
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Quickly brushing her bangs over her scar, Alex exited the classroom. Not looking where she was going, she promptly collided with an unsuspecting Harry.

"Whoa!" she cried, as he grabbed her before she fell. She saw his eyes flicker to her forehead, but covered it again before he could see anything.

After getting Alex steady again, Harry stood there awkwardly. He was feeling very wary around her, because the more he thought, the more likely it seemed that she was a Death Eater.

"Uh, Harry... What are you doing here?" she asked, obviously uncomfortable.

"I could ask you the same question." She shifted awkwardly.

"Right. Well, I, er, I dropped something, and it, uh, well it rolled into the classroom and it took me a while to find it!" Alex said it all really fast in a high pitched voice. Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He would find out who she was sooner or later.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex rolled her eyes. Where Ron got the idea to poison Umbridge was beyond her. She was still lost in thought, however. Draco knew who she was, and was going to use that against her. And Harry may or may not have heard their conversation! At least Draco hadn't said anything that would be overly revealing, like calling her Alex Potter, or the Girl Who Lived.

He had seemed to be acting a little weird, though. He probably had heard, and just jumped to some strange conclusion. Alex groaned when she thought about this. Who knew what his idea was? It could be something really bad and crazy. She hoped he wouldn't tell anyone, and just work it out on his own.

The portrait hole opened, and in came Harry. His hand was bleeding again, but Hermione had made some sort of potion to help. He soaked his hand in it while Hermine brought up the idea she had been sitting on all day.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Come on, Harry, it's been two weeks!" Hermione pleaded.

"I've though about it. Happy?"

"No, I want an answer."

"It'll just be you and Ron, right?" Harry asked. He wanted to get back to studying, because he was still behind in homework.

"Well, I was thinking Alex too, plus anyone else who wanted to learn."

"You remember what I told you about Alex?"

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean-"

"Hermione, she could be dangerous!" Hermione sighed.

"Look, how about we have a meeting in Hogsmeade for whoever is interested, okay?" Exasperated, Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione was avoiding thinking about Alex being bad, and Sirius wasn't replying to his letter. And Alex was barely talking to them! He knew he should be more wary, but he just wanted Hermione to be quiet.

"Fine." Hermione beamed, then allowed him to go back to his work and his thoughts.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex looked around at all the people gathered in the Hog's Head. It seemed really crowded. She hoped that they wouldn't be rude to Harry about his story of Voldemort returning. As wary as she was of him right now, he was still her brother.

Hermione gave a quick introduction. After stating that she wanted to be able to defend herself from Voldemort, the accusations stared flying in. Harry had to go into a large explanation on how it felt to be out there, in the real world, actually fighting. What it felt like to be inches from death, and know only you could save yourself. It was horrible when she finally realized what her twin had been through. Her life had been hard, but his had been spent trying to stay alive. Alex wanted to run up to the front and give Harry a big hug, but that would be a little weird.

After trying to decided on a place to meet, they ended up agreeing to look for a good spot. They all signed a piece of parchment as agreement, and Alex put her name at the top of the list. While she signed it she tried to ignore the half-glare Harry was giving her. Whatever conclusion he had reached was obviously not a good one for her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Staring at the new Educational Decree, Alex's brain went into overdrive. How did Umbridge find out? It wasn't just coincidence that she decided to disband all student teams, groups, and clubs. She must have found out about their group somehow. But who was the sneak?

Harry walked by then, and when she glanced at him, she was met by his glare. It was obvious he thought it was her. She was going to have to prove to him somehow that it wasn't. Unfortunately, in the short time she had known him, she had realized he was _v__ery _stubborn. The only way to do it would be to seem very loyal to the group, which had yet to be named. Until she got the chance, however, she needed to stay clear of anything suspicious.

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**Sorry, boring chapter, I know. This was another one of those filler/transition chapters. I have a question: During one of the DA meetings, I was thinking of having Harry and Alex do an example duel. If I do, who should win? There'll be a poll on my profile if you want to answer!  
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	22. Only Child

**Hey again! So I'm at the beach, and there is another computer here I can use, just not all that often. I'll still be able to update while I'm here, though. :) You guys are making me extremely happy. Honestly. I mean, ten more reviews in the last two chapters! Plus all the people who just started following and favoriting. Thanks a ton! Now, here's your reward of Chapter 22!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Good job to my good friend fatcatbeatrice for guessing the language, Romanian. Bad job to her for then bringing in a Hetalia reference. *glare* Sorry to anyone who likes Hetalia. And I have a new nickname, courtesy of her dad's girlfriend: the one who complemented the soup first. Don't ask. **

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Harry glared at Alex as he walked past. He was sure that she was up to _something _now. This new Educational Decree wasn't a coincidence. But she had signed the parchment, and she wasn't spotty like Hermione said she should be. Why? There was little to no possibility of Hermione's curse being done wrong. So unless someone else had blabbed...

But all the signs still pointed to Alex. He just needed evidence. Harry knew that glaring at her every chance he got was not helping with the whole "discreet" thing, and was probably pushing her away. Especially now, when he needed to get close enough to figure it out.

Angelina was the one who brought him back to Earth. He had totally fogotten that the Educational Decree included teams, which meant they would have to ask for permission to reform Quidditch! That was definitely enough for him to forget Alex, at least for a little bit. He agreed to keep his temper with Umbridge, at least until they got the team back together.

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In History of Magic, Alex was bored so she stared out the window without really thinking about anything. She realized after about 20 minutes that there was an owl sitting on the ledge. Not just any owl, either. A snowy owl. Hedwig!

Quickly, she started to turn to point her out to Harry. Alex remembered that he was mad at her, though, so she didn't say anything. She heard Harry hiss angrily at Hermione when she poked him to get his attention. Hermione pointed out Hedwig, so Harry got up and fetched her. Alex noticed that her wing looked off, and by Harry's facial expression, so did he.

Harry exited the classroom with his owl, leaving everyone else to sit through Binn's horrible lesson. Alex hoped he would be able to get Hedwig some help so the damage wasn't permanent.

After class, Alex tailed Ron and Hermione carefully. She wanted to make sure Hedwig was all right, or that he had at least found someone to fix her wing. She saw them meet up with Harry, and heard him say he had given her to Grubbly-Plank. So at least she was with someone who could take care of animals. As she was about to walk away, though, she noticed that Harry had a piece of parchment in his hands. Of course! Hedwig must have bringing him a letter! But from who?

Heading to the dungeons, Alex wondered how Hedwig had gotten hurt. It didn't look like she had an accident. More like someone had very roughly intercepted her. And there was only one person she knew of who would want to read Harry's mail: Umbridge. She wanted to warn him, but Harry was a smart boy, plus he had Hermione as a friend. They would figure it out.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Potions was its usual nightmare times five, because Umbridge was inspecting. That meant Snape was grumpier, which led into him picking on the Gryffindors even more than usual. It was also horrible because they had to put up with Umbridge for an extra lesson.

During Divination, Trelawney had an emotional breakdown. Apparently she had been put on probation. Her favorite students, Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patil tried to calm her down, but to no avail. She was simply too distraught to be a very good teacher. Well, as good as she normally was, at least.

DADA was nothing new. In fact, Umbridge had taken to conducting each lesson with almost exactly the same words, only varying with time of day and assigned chapter. Some students, such as Alex herself, had taken to muttering what Umbridge said under their breaths. Alex couldn't wait until they started with Harry's lessons, because she really wanted to use some of the defensive spells she had read about.

Unfortuantely for Harry, Umbridge still hadn't given permission for the Gryffindor Quidditch team to reform. That dissapointed Alex, because she had been looking forward to seeing a practice, and hopefully soon a match. She instead had to opt for studying in the common room with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry had stopped glaring at her, which was strange, but welcome.

As it got later, Alex noticed Harry kept glancing towards the fire. She thought for a moment, then realized who had probably sent the note to him. There was a good chance he had planned another talk with Sirius that night. She knew she wasn't invited, but she had to find out what was going on. Excusing herself to go to bed, she planned to sneak downstairs and find out what this was really about.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry spotted Sirius's head sitting in the fire. He was very relieved, because he needed to talk to an adult outside of Hogwarts, and he preferred Sirius for that.

"Sirius!"

"Hi!" They replied with the same greeting. Harry was glad to see his godfather was grinning, so hopefully he wasn't still upset about what happened last time.

Sirius asked how things were going at Hogwarts. Harry quickly started explaining the new Educational Decree, when Sirius cut him off. Somehow he knew about their Defense Against the Dark Arts group! How did word keep getting out?

The answer to how Sirius knew was simple. Apparently Mundugus Fletcher had been in the Hog's Head, in disguise. And also, Mrs. Weasley didn't want Ron, Ginny, Fred, or George participating. Not that they were going to listen, of course. Another though struck Harry's mind.

"Sirius, did Dumbledore tell you about the new girl at Hogwarts?"

"He mentioned her, yes."

"She looks really familiar to me, do you know why?" Sirius looked uncomfortable at that. It seemed he did know something, he just didn't want to spill. "Sirius," he said warningly.

Sirius sighed, then started, "Look, Harry, nobody wanted to tell you this before you were ready. Dumbledore decided it was time for you to know, the duty befell to me to make sure you did. You- ugh, I have no idea how to put this right."

Harry was growing impatient. "Just tell me, Sirius!"

"I'm just going to say it. Harry, you weren't an only child. You had a twin sister."

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**Just telling you now, no he does not find out next chapter. It's still going to be a while. Remember, everyone in the Order thinks Alex Potter is dead. Keep that in mind. Wanted to say again that you guys never cease to amaze me. I know the amount of followers, favorites, and reviews is small compared to a lot of stories, but seriously? This is a _lot _for me. So thanks again, and keep reading! **

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**Ariana: That's sweet! Thanks for reading! :)**


	23. Dumbledore's Army

**Another chapter! :) I kinda left the last one hanging, so I tried to finish this one quickly. Chapter 23...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. **

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Alex stared at the fireplace. Sirius Black knew she did- or at least, _had_- existed? And he was telling Harry. But the way he was saying it made it sound like they though she was, well, _dead. _Maybe that was why nobody knew about her! Had she supposedly died very young?

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Harry was just sitting there uncomprehendingly. He had a _sister?! _No, no, no. Somebody would have told him, someone would have known! Right?

Judging by the serious look on Sirius's face **[That pun was fully intended. In fact, I rewrote that sentence so I could put it in. :D]**, he wasn't joking. But why had no one told him before now? And Sirius said he had _had _a twin sister, not that he _did. _What happened?

The look on his face was a combination of shock, confusion, and anger. Sirius gave a small, sad smile. Harry was afraid to ask the question burning in his mind. His godfather seemed to sense what was going through his mind, and answered that and questions he didn't know he had.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner. With your parents gone, everyone was afraid it would be too much. Her name was Alex. Alex Potter." Harry instantly though of Alex Thompson. Then realized it couldn't be the same girl. His, well, _sister, _was dead.

"She looked very much like a young version of your mother. The same hair, skin, even the same habit of a twitching left eye." Sirius chuckled softly to himself. "The only thing that was different was her eyes. Can you imagine what they looked like?"

"My father's," Harry said breathlessly. He hadn't even thought before he said it. Now that he said it, a picture came up in his mind. Surprisingly, she looked very similar to the Alex he knew. It was probably just his imagination.

"Yes, your father's. Everyone wishes she had lived. Unfortunately, Voldemort killed her, the same night that he killed your parents." Harry felt tears stinging his eyes. Yet another family member lost to Voldemort.

"Why did no one tell me before this? Didn't anyone know?"

"Thing is Harry, most people didn't. Dumbledore wanted her kept a secret. Only the Order knew." Harry was speechless. Ron was watching him with a sad and scared expression. Hermione looked concerned, but had tears pouring down her face. This was all so hard to comprehend. Harry was sure he would wake up and find this was all a dream.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Finally, answers! Now Alex knew why there were so few people to know she existed, and why no one had ever looked for her. Still, it was horrible seeing their faces, all thinking she was dead, when truthfully she was very much alive. A single tear dripping from her eye, she turned and went back upstairs.

The next day, during the lessons, Alex noticed Harry was being uncharictaristically quiet. He was still talking to Ron and Hermione, but none of them had any sort of energy to their voices. It was like someone had di- oh wait. She did a mental face-palm, realizing that to them, someone _had _died. This was all so horrible, but as much as she wanted to tell him, now she definitely couldn't. He would be extremely mad.

Instead, Alex thought about Quidditch. Gryffindor's first full-team practice of the season was today. Unfortunately, what with the horrible conditions, she wouldn't be joining them. She was glad about her decision when Harry and Ron entered the common room dripping wet and miserable. They sat down with her and started doing homework, but she got up and went to bed. It was too hard for her to be around Harry right now to even think about having any sort of conversation.

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Alex was excited for that evening. The first meeting of their Defense Against the Dark Arts club was tonight! Harry had apparently found a suitable place for it, so they were going to try it out. She hoped everything would go okay, because she for one was very ready for it.

The room Harry had found was maginifcent! As Alex walked through it, she saw everything they would need to learn how to defend themselves. Harry was standing in the middle of the room awkwardly with Ron and Hermione behind him. They started quickly, deciding on a leader (Harry of course) and a name (Dumbledore's Army, DA for short).

They started simple with _Expelliarmus_. It was a spell that Alex had read about in a lot of the DADA books she had found. Dividing into pairs, they practiced disarming each other. She ended up working with Harry and Neville as a threesome.

Alex caught on quickly, disarming Harry on her first try. He smiled at her, but she could see depression in his eyes. Alarmed, she was about to ask if he was okay, when she realized what was causing it. He had found out about, well, _her, _and now she was just a reminder of his "dead" twin. It was horrible knowing she was the cause, both of the "dead" sister and the reminders.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

For the next two weeks, Alex and Harry both felt accomplished and sad. The accomplishment definitely came from managing to keep the DA a complete secret from Umbridge. They had succesfully managed another few meetings without discovery.

As for the sadness, Harry was greiving over his lost sister. Although it had happened almost 14 years ago, he felt as though he hadn't felt enough sadness for that time. How could he, having not known she existed? Alex felt similar pain, being the one to cause it for Harry. She decided that she wouldn't be able to tell him, ever.

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**That's what you think! :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm glad I managed to get two out today. It was pretty slow today, plus you can't do much at the beach with a sprained toe and a pulled muscle in your shoulder. So I'm stuck with typing weirdly and reading. Oh well. Thanks for reading!**

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	24. Banned

**I hope I didn't make anyone too sad with the last chapter. I'll try to make it lighten up soon. But we'll see how it goes. Enjoy the new chapter! So now, chapter 24!**

**Disclaimer: Jeg ejer ikke Harry Potter.**

**Language contest again! :)**

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Quickly, everyone in the DA's skills developed greatly. Alex was amazed how good everyone was at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Her own skills surprised herself, as well. Unfortuantely, none of it was as exciting as it should have been. Constantly being worried about Harry, a couple of times she had accidently messed up a spell and hit an unsuspecting bystander. It took a lot of work to reverse some of the damage.

Because they couldn't have a regular night for meetings, Hermione made some fake Galleons to tell what day the next meeting was. Alex thought it was genius, plus the charm necessary to do that was at a really high level! Hermione's brains never ceased to amaze her. Although it kind of reminded Alex of the things the Death Eaters had. What were they called again? Dark Marks? Yeah, that was it.

Alex was happy to find out the first Quidditch game of the season was coming up. It was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, and she was ready to see Draco get beaten. From what she'd heard, Harry was definitely better than him at Seeking. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he lost. It was very exciting.

It was good for them that McGonagall really wanted to win. She even refrained from giving them homework so the team could practice more! Alex definitely took that as a plus. She just hoped Harry would be okay enough to play well. He seemed to be doing a little better, but still not normal. She wanted to tell him more than anything! Not that that was going to happen.

Watching the team be tortured relentlessly by the Slytherins was horrible. Harry seemed to take it in stride, but Ron was obviously having a hard time. It was his first game as Keeper, and Harry had had four years to get used to it. On the morning of the match Ron looked very sick. He wasn't eating, which was very strange for him. Harry was obviously trying to seem happy, but it wasn't working very well.

Alex went out to the pitch with Hermine, after Harry and Ron had left with the rest of the team. The sky was a pearly gray, without a single breath of wind. From what she could tell, these were perfect conditions. Now Gryffindor had to be a practically perfect team, even though Slytherin had put together a big group of dimwits that they called a team. If Crabbe and Goyle were there, it wasn't like they had huge expectations.

As the match played out, Alex noticed the Slytherins singing. It seemed to be some mean song about Ron. They were making fun of his Keeping skills! She was definitely ready to punch out whoever wrote the song. Something in her thought it was Malfoy. She needed to stop calling him "Draco." He didn't deserve that.

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The match ended with Harry catching the Snitch. Malfoy had been right on his tail, but too slow. His broom was nowhere as fast as Harry's. Crabbe had a temper tantrum and hit a bludger at Harry. It hit him straight in the back, knocking him off his broom and straight to the ground. Alex stood up eyes wide. He had only been five or six feet off the ground, but when he hit the ground, he didn't move. She was worried if he was okay or not.

Luckily, when Angelina went to check on him, he stood up. She sighed in relief and sat back down. Hermine was still standing next to her, though. She still looked tense, and when Alex looked to the field again, she got scared as well. Malfoy seemed to be taunting Harry, and maybe the Weasleys too. She hoped he wouldn't give him the rise he wanted.

Once again, her ESP attempts didn't work. Harry had been attempting to hold George back, but Malfoy obvioulsy went too far. Harry let go of George and they both lept at him. Madame Hooch had to use the Impediment Jinx to get Harry off. Alex winced when she started shouting at him and sent the pair to McGonagall's office. She hoped they wouldn't be in too much trouble.

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"Banned. For. _LIFE?_" Alex asked incredelousy.

"Yup," Harry said dejectedly. Alex felt horrible for him. First the sister thing, now no Quidditch. It just kept getting worse for him. She wanted to tell him so badly, but it wasn't like you could just walk up to somebody and say "Hey, I'm your long lost twin sister who everyone thinks is dead. Just thought you should know." That wouldn't be weird at all.

The entire Gryffindor team seemed very upset for the rest of the evening. Alex sat alone reading, and she kept wanting to help Harry. He didn't seem to want to talk to anyone outside though. He was sitting looking depressed with Ron next to him, while Hermione looked out the window. She said something that made them perk up right away, and Harry ran up to his dormitory. Alex allowed herself a small smile, hoping he would be back to normal.

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**Well, this wasn't a happy chapter, either. But I think you all know who comes in next chapter! Oh, also, I realize there was something I messed up with earlier on, in this story, Hagrid left right before the beginning of the school year, not months ago. Just so you know. Also, she didn't know Hagrid was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Sorry about that. Thanks for reading! **

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**Guest: Yeah, it was a little obvious. I'll try to keep up the daily chapters. :) **


	25. Welcome to the Team

**Wasup! :) I'm happy, cuz we found a TV channel having a Harry Potter marathon! :))))))))) *does random happy dance* Sorry, we forgot to bring the movies with us, so I'm glad we can see them. Inspiration! :)) My shoulder is acting up, though, so I apologize for spelling mistakes, cuz my typing sucks. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, guys, we've passed 50! Plus we have over 5,000 views! :) I'm sorry to anyone who doens't like seeing the Potter twins all sad, but I have to make it like this for it to be super happy later. Anyway, chapter 25! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Good job yet again to fatcatbeatrice. I miss you, I sucks we can't talk in person anymore. Anyway, cut it out with the Hetalia stuff. Honestly. **

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Harry was relieved to see Hagrid and be able to talk to him. He had been gone since the start of the year. It was good for something happy to actually be going on in his crazy, messed up, depressing life. But he had to bring up the worst topic he could right now. Hagrid was the only one he trusted enough for it.

"Hagrid, can I ask you something?" he asked tentatively.

"Sure, Harry. What is it?"

"Do you know the new girl, Alex Thompson?"

"Yeah, actually, I was the one ter take 'er to Dumbledore. Why?"

"Does she- does she look like my sister would have? Like, at all similar?" Hagrid looked surprised at this.

"Wait, who told you about yer sister?" Hagrid asked, alarmed.

"Sirius." Hagrid seemed slightly mollified by this.

"Yeah, she looks a lot like I would have imagined your sister. Same name too. It's quite the coincidence."

"Yeah," Harry said distractedly. "It is."

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Alex looked at the window. Yet another snowball had just hit it. Ron finally lost is patience and went to yell at whoever was doing it. The mysterious person then hit him in the face with one. She had to admit, the look on his face was highly comical.

Hermione came in through the portrait hole. She had just been out to see Professor Hagrid, who apparently had come back. Alex was excited to meet him. Well, _actually _meet him. They had met before, but not for very long. She hoped he was nice, and wouldn't recognize her as Harry's sister. It was a miracle he didn't realize it the first time.

The next morning they had their first lesson with Professor Hagrid. When they showed up by his hut, he beamed down at them. Despite all she had heard, Alex couldn't help but feel fairly intimidated by him. His bulk was a sure sign of brute strength. But even with a scary first take, she could see he was actually very gentle. Well, tried to be anyway.

Professor Hagrid came over to her, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hullo, you three, Alex. I'm glad ter see yer makin' friends, especially with people like them. Couldn't go wrong here. I'd be scared if it was Malfoy and them, though." Alex smiled lightly at that. There was no way in the world she would have ever been friends with Malfoy.

For the lesson, Hagrid took them into the Forbidden Forest. He brought with him half a cow. Alex was a little scared of whatever it was needed for. Sure enough, when they got there, Hagrid set it down, and called for whatever creature they were studying. Out of the trees came a skeletal creature, looking like a combination of a dragon and a black winged horse. She froze instantly, frightened. The students around her seemed to still be looking for it, which surprised her. How hard was it to miss?

Harry and Neville also seemed to be able to see it. Harry simply looked relieved, and Neville looked as scared as Alex. Maybe Harry had seen them before? Most of the class still looked expectant and nervouse, though. She looked at Hagrid questioningly, wondering if there was an explanation for it.

"Put your hand up if you can see them." Alex raised her hand slowly, as did Harry, Neville, and some Slytherin boy. Only the four of them? Why?

"These are thestrals. They can only be seen by those who have seen death," Hagrid explained. Alex felt her eyebrows shoot up. Seen death? That was awful!

Others seemed to agree, for they were backing away from the spot. Alex didn't move, still feeling rooted to the spot. Suddenly, she heard a small "hem hem" come from right behind her, and she whirled around.

Sure enough, donned in pink, there stood Umbridge, clipboard in hand. She was there to inspect Hagrid, apparently. Alex hoped he would pass all right, because she like Hagrid.

Umbridge explained why she was there, and started asking the students questions. The Slytherins all made it sound like Hagrid was a complete idiot, and Umbridge seemed to encourage it. Alex was definitely ready to murder all of them, Umbridge included. Hagrid was her favorite teacher, there was no way she could get away with this.

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December came, bringing snow and homework with it. The prefects had more duties, something Alex didn't envy. The DA seemed to be an escape from life sometimes. It was becoming easier to forget her lies, at least when she had a distraction. She just had to make sure she didn't get too ignorant, otherwise she might accidentely let something slip. Fred and George had gotten their hands on some Veritiserum, and had been slipping it into peoples' drinks. She could not let them do that to her, otherwise she would be in big trouble.*** **

Alex was planning on staying at Hogwarts during the holidays. Hermione was going skiing with her parents, whatever that meant. Harry and Ron were going to Ron's house to spend it with his family. Her good friend Ginny, who was Ron's sister, had invited her to come as well, but she had declined, not wanting to risk being recognized by anyone else.

She was also excited, because the Gryffindor Quidditch team now needed a new Seeker and two Beaters. Alex didn't tell anyone else, but she was planning on trying out. Without much practice, she didn't expect to make the team, but she wanted to try anyway. With any luck, at least she would have a little more experience for next year.

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The tryouts lasted a lot longer than Alex had expected. By the time everyone had finished, it was very close to time for the DA meeting. She had flown much better than she had expected. Maybe she had a chance after all.

Angelina, the captain, was consulting with the other two remaining players, Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet. They seemed to be having a hard time deciding on one of the players. Finally, they all nodded and walked over to the group of waiting hopefuls.

"First, thank you to everyone who tried out. For the Beaters, we have Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper." Alex had tried out for both postitions. She hadn't done very well as Beater, so it hadn't surprised her. She just hoped for a stroke of luck right now.

"And as Seeker, we chose Alex Thompson."

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**The ending was predictable, I know, but I had to put her on the Quidditch team. I hope you liked this chapter, I didn't find it all that good, but I needed the slight filler. Anyway, thanks for reading, guys. And for all the reviews, it's really great to know you enjoy the story. Thanks again! **

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**Guest: Thanks! It means a lot when everyone says they really like it. **

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**Ellie: I'm trying! Getting around two chapters a day is pretty good, though, at least in my opinion. :) Thanks for continuing to read and review!**

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	26. Seeker Duel

**To start off with, thank you guys so much for bearing with me. Since this is my first story, I feel truly honored to have gotten such a positive response to it. I figured maybe one or two people would read it, maybe get a follower and a couple of reviews, and now I find myself here, with the most amazing readers ever, and more positive feedback, followers, and favorites than I could have imagined. I realize it still isn't like a lot of popular stories on here, but it's more than enough for me. So thank you, very much. Even if you're just reading the story without much interest, it means a lot. **

**Anyway, now that I'm done being all emotional, chapter 26!**

**Disclaimer: Ek het nie Harry Potter nie. **

**Language contest!**

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As Angelina, Alicia, and Katie walked through the door to the Room of Requirement, Angelina said, "We've replaced you."

"What?!" he asked, incredulous.

"We got a new Seeker and Beaters."

"Oh," Harry said sheepishly. He wasn't really sure what he thought she meant. "Who are they?"

"We have Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke for Beaters."

"And the Seeker?"

"Alex Thompson." Harry was surprised to say the least. Alex said she had never seen a game of Quidditch before coming to Hogwarts. How was she good enough to play Seeker after only watching one game? Angelina seemed to read his expression. "She's actually really good, I was amazed when she admitted she had never played before. She's amazing, but not as good as you."

As they were talking, Alex came in, looking flushed and very pleased. Harry went over and congratulated her. He was still trying to figure out who she was. It seemed to be a really strange coincidence that she looked like a 15-year-old version of his sister, and had the same name. Alex wasn't a common name for girls, at least when it wasn't a nickname. He still thought she might be a Death Eater, but how? Maybe there was a new type of Polyjuice Potion that could be like an older or younger version of the person. He had no idea.

Since it was the last meeting before the holidays, he decided to just do a review of everything they'd already covered. For ten minutes, they did the Impediment Jinx, then practiced Stunning. After about 45 minutes, he called it to a halt.

"Great work, everyone. We have about 15 more minutes before we should probably go back to our common rooms, so does anyone have something specific they want to work on?"

Someone he couldn't see called out, "How about an example duel?" He suspected it was Smith, but he wasn't sure. As it was, it didn't seem like a bad idea. Everyone else was nodding and muttering their assent.

"Okay, who duels?" he asked. He saw a smirk on Fred's face.

"How about the two Gryffindor Seekers, Potter and Thompson?" George smiled.

"Yeah! Come on, let's see what you can do off the broomstick!" he agreed with his twin. Harry glanced at Alex, who looked kind of unsure. She made eye contact, and he raised his eyebrows to ask the question non-verbally. With a smirk, she nodded, accepting the challenge.

The rest of the DA cleared away from the center, leaving space for them to duel. Hermione murmured something to Alex before stepping back into the crowd. Harry drew his wand, watching Alex mirror the movement. They walked to the center of the floor, wands in front of them. They bowed, with her still wearing the smirk. Turning back around, they walked to opposite sides of the room. Someone-Harry couldn't tell who-counted to three, and they started.

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Alex was scared. She had never dueled before, and Harry had fought _Lord Voldemort _for Pete's sake! Luckily, she had experience with hiding emotions, so she pulled up her cockiest smirk and got ready to fight. Hermione walked over to her.

Whispering in her ear, Hermione said, "Harry always used _Expelliarmus_." Alex nodded, acknowledging what she said. She drew her wand in exact coordination with Harry, advancing to the center. They bowed to each other, her still attempting to keep up the cocky face. With a walk back to her edge, she turned and with the count of three, they started.

True to Hermione's word, Harry did start with trying to Disarm her. She was prepared though, and produced a Shield Charm. His spell rebounded and he was forced to dodge. She shot a Stunning Spell at him, which he blocked as well. Alex ducked under her own spell, then produced an Impediment Jinx. Harry just barley got a shield up in time, but it deflected at a bad angle and hit Neville. He froze, and everyone else laughed.

The duel continued. Neither one was able to hit the other. They both used all the spells they had learned in the DA, plus a few they hadn't covered yet. Finally, Harry just barely managed to Disarm Alex. Her wand flew out of her hand, and across the room to Harry. He caught it, slightly surprised. She smiled at him, while everyone applauded. He walked over to her holding out her wand.

"Nice job. Here's your wand back," he said. She took it.

"Thanks. You too! You're really good at this. Then again, it's not that surprising, considering, well, your experience," she replied. Harry smiled at her, surprisingly. Alex hesitantly stretched her hand out to shake. He took it, still smiling. They shook, then turned to the audience and bowed. Exchanging smiles, Alex walked back over to Hermione, while Harry wished everyone a Happy Christmas.

Alex walked out with Hermione and Ron. She could tell he was stalling so he could be alone with Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw sixth year. She gave him a sly grin before she left, with him returning it cautiously. Turning around, she walked out, her dark red hair streaming out behind her.

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**Another filler, I apologize. But at the same time, I kinda wanted to have them duel. I'm no good at writing fight scenes, magic or not, so sorry about that too. Anyway, thanks for reading! **

**Review! :)**


	27. Discovered

**Just in case you're wondering, I'm pre-writing quite a few chapters while I let my shoulder heal up a little. That's why I've been updating a lot. I'm just trying to avoid posting too many at once. It'll slow down once I get through the pre-written ones. This one is exciting, so here's chapter 27!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

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Alex continued with her cocky smirk while Harry talked with Ron and Hermione. She had known he and Cho liked each other, and she was glad to see them get together. Goodness knew Harry needed something happy to go on in his life. She bade them all a good night, and headed off to bed.

Having a hard time falling asleep, Alex listened to all the noises going on around her. The hooting of owls, Lavender's heavy breathing, and the sound of someone shifting in their sleep. Finally, she drifted off into a fitful, dream-filled sleep. First she dreamed about giant Snitches wearing pink cardigans and black bows not letting her catch them. Then it changed to a dark corridor. She was gliding around on her stomach, turning her head although not actually moving.

Suddenly there was a familiar look man in front of her. She jumped out and attacked him with her teeth. She struck again and again, the taste of blood on her tongue. Becoming aware of her dormitory, Alex attempted to wake up. Her head felt like it was going to burst open, and she was sweating like crazy.

"Alex! ALEX!" She could hear voices calling out around her, but they seemed very distant. Alex was trapped in the blankets, struggling to break free. She managed to get her head over the side, and threw up. There were more nervous voices around her.

"She's sick. Should we get someone?"

"Alex, come on, talk to me." She could tell it was Hermione. Groaning, she managed to pull her head up.

"'Mione?" she managed to get out.

"Alex! Hang on, okay? Lavender went to find McGonagall." Alex nodded, unable to talk anymore. She felt really feverish, and her forehead was on fire. Managing to keep her eyes open, Hermione's face swam in and out of focus. She was muttering comforting words, looking very scared. Alex heard Lavender come back in.

"I can't find McGonagall at all. But I got Madame Pomfrey." Sure enough, the nurse came bustling though the doorway. Leaning over Alex, she felt her forehead.

"Tsk, very high fever. I'll have to get you to the hospital wing. Can you walk?" Alex tried, but as soon as her legs were supporting her own weight they gave out. Luckily Madame Pomfrey was prepared and caught her. A sudden thought crossed Alex's mind, and she made sure her bangs were covering the right side of her forehead. The sweat had probably cleared her makeup off, so she couldn't let anyone see her scar.

With Hermione and Madame Pomfrey supporting her, Alex stumbled to a part of Hogwarts she had never been to before: the hospital wing. They quickly set her in the first bed, and the nurse hurried off to find some potions. Hermione sat in the chair next to her looking worried.

"Alex, what happned?"

"I dunno. I just had a bad dream and woke up like, well, this!" Alex didn't go into detail on the dream, and luckily Hermione didn't ask. Something in her knew that if Hermione knew what had happened in her dream, she could figure out her identity. That could not happen, no matter what. Hopefully someone would find the man before it was too late.

Twenty minutes and four potions later, Alex was feeling a bit better. She was laying down again, trying to fall asleep. Madame Pomfrey had sent Hermione back to the dormitories, leaving Alex alone. Sleep wasn't coming, though, because her mind was going over what had happened in her dream. It had been real, she knew that, but how? There was no way she had left the dormitory, and she did _not _slither on her belly. What sort of body had she been in?

After a few hours of fitful half-sleep, Alex was awakened by Madame Pomfrey cleaning things around the hospital wing. She struggled to sit up, still feeling weak from the night before. The nurse walked over and took her tempurature. She nodded curtly, then went to fetch a breakfast tray for Alex. While she was away Hermione came in to visit.

"Hey. You feeling any better?" Hermione asked concernedly.

"Yeah, loads. Thanks for coming to visit."

"Sure. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You were really sick." Alex smiled.

"Well, I think I'm better now. Hopefully I can leave the hospital wing soon."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Hermione said with a smile. "Madame Pomfrey is very, er, _careful _with her patients." Alex had to hold back a laugh.

"Good to know. I'll be a good girl so I can get out and actually enjoy the holidays." Hermione's smile stiffened a little, and she shifted awkwardly in the chair she was sitting on. "Hermione?" It was Alex's turn to be concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, it's just, there's something I need to ask you, it's a little weird..."

"Go ahead, but if it's about the dream I was having I'm not talking about it."

"No it's not that, it's just, well..." Hermione trailed off. She seemed to think about it for a moment, then finally managed to clear her head.

"Alex, are you Harry's twin sister?"

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**Dun-dun-DUN! Cliffhanger! :) Thanks to Jisook for suggesting that I do more of those! I need the writing advice guys, don't be shy! Plot ideas, pace, how long I should continue this, let me know, I want to hear it. Thanks for reading you guys, and I'm gonna stress this more than ever now. In fact, I'm going to wait to get at least three reviews for every new chapter before I post the next. But please, something more than just "Great chapter!" okay? Anyway, thanks again!**

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	28. Explanation

**Well, you guys met my review minimum. Actually, you quadrupled it! Good work. :) Thanks to everyone who gave me ideas and advice. I hope you're excited to see this chapter, cuz I kinda left the last one hanging. Like, to the extreme. Anyway, chapter 28! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

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Staring at Hermione, eyes wide, a thousand things ran through Alex's mind. How did she figure it out? Did she tell Harry? What's the best way to deny it? Hermione was just looking at her with a questioning expression. Alex knew she had to find a way around this, but how?

"I, well uh, I, um..." she stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. Hermione's face softened, and Alex knew that her secret was out.

"Alex, why didn't you just tell us?" Hermione asked. "Harry wouldn't have been mad. He would have been happy! And I know you heard us talking to Sirius. He thinks you're dead! Do you realize how devastated he is?" She grew more and more angry as she talked. Alex gave her a look that silenced her.

"First, I didn't do it because I thought he would be mad. I was sure he wouldn't believe me, and I would be shunned. I just wanted to fit in. And I was afraid he would hate me if I told him after he thought I was dead. I'm really sorry." Alex was crying now, feeling horrible about what she did. She had known she was putting Harry through a lot of pain by not telling him, but she couldn't risk losing him.

"It's okay, but you have to tell him," Hermione said. "You do realize how happy he'd be, right?" Alex nodded.

"I know, but I can't. Hermione, my time between my parents' deaths and coming here was spent living with the Malfoys. They know about us being twins. If Harry knew, they would use me to get to him. If Harry knew, Voldemort would use me to kill him. I can't let that happen. I'm doing this for his sake. When-if-Voldemort is gone, I'll tell him. But not before then, not if I can avoid it." Alex looked at Hermione with pleading eyes. "Please, Hermione, keep this a secret. For me. I have to keep him safe." Hermione looked at her, weighing the options.

"Look, I'll keep your secret under two conditions. One, you tell me everything about your past, and two, you tell Harry before we go home for the summer holidays." Alex agreed.

"I don't really know much about the night our parents were murdered, but I do know they somehow thought I was dead, and left me at the house. Bellatrix Lestrange found me and took me to the Malfoys. I lived with them for 13 years. After fighting Harry in the graveyard, Voldemort came to kill me. I escaped with a broomstick and my wand, and flew to Little Whinging. I ran into Harry there, but we didn't talk. After flying to Hogwarts, I made up a past for myself and got in. And now, here I am."

"Here you are," Hermione agreed.

"Now it's your turn. How did you find out who I was?" Alex asked.

"You remember seeing Harry the first time you went to Diagon Alley? Well, he told us about seeing you. We figured then you weren't who you said you were. Then Harry overheard your conversation with Malfoy. I sort of thought you might be a Death Eater, but I wasn't really sure. It didn't really seem that likely, you know? After I saw you eavesdropping on us while talking to Sirius, I was sure you weren't telling us something very important. I thought about it for days, but it wasn't until we went to see Hagrid that you being his sister even crossed my mind. But when Madame Pomfrey felt your forehead, I saw the makeup come off and just got a glimpse of your scar. Then I knew, you really were Alex Potter."

Alex nodded slowly. She had always known Hermione was very smart and logical. It just amazed her that even someone with those brains could come to this far-fetched conclusion with so few clues.

"I should probably go," Hermione said. "Neville told me Harry got sick last night as well." Lowering her voice, she added, "It was the Weasleys' dad who got attacked. McGonagall told me. They left to stay with Sirius, as did Harry."

"Make sure he's okay for me," Alex replied. Hermione nodded, and Alex knew she could tell she didn't mean Harry. "Have a Happy Christmas!" Hermione smiled.

"You too, Alex!"

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Harry and the Weasley family came back from the holidays looking cheerful and well taken care of. Alex was glad, because she had been worried about Mr. Weasley, despite the letter she had received from Hermione. Running up to greet them, she was surprised to be met by a cold stare from Harry. He shoved her into a wall and started shouting at her.

"Who are you?! You keep secrets, you pretend to be our friend, what are you doing?" Alex was so frightened she was literally scared into silence. Harry was still yelling about trust and secrets, but she wasn't hearing a word. Fred and George managed to pry Harry off her, and she stumbled a few steps away.

"Harry, I-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. Just stay away from me and my friends." With that, he turned on his heel and stormed away. The Weasleys all looked at her, confused. She was confused herself. Why would Harry all of a sudden act like that? Even she didn't know what she did wrong.

"Alex, do you know what that was about?" Ginny asked.

"No," Alex replied. "No idea."

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**What's up with Harry? I guess you're just going to have to wait and find out! *devilish grin* Until next time...**

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**Ellie: Okay, thanks for the ideas! I'll probably use Draco blackmailing her or something. :)**

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**Remember, at least three reviews! Not that you really need reminding, considering the 13 reviews you gave the last chapter...**


	29. Improving

**Great job again with the reviews, guys! :) I'm glad you guys like the story. So I won't bore you with a long author's note! Chapter 29! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :'(**

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Sitting in the dormitory, Alex tried to figure out what just happened. Why did Harry hate her so much now? She hadn't done anything. Right? No, Harry had a reason, she just had to figure out why.

Hermione came in, looking concerned.

"Hey, Alex, do you have any idea what just happened?" Alex shook her head slowly.

"I'm just as lost as everyone else. Did Harry tell you anything?"

"No. I surprised. He usually talks to me and Ron at least. Besides, nothing happened over the holidays that would make him act like that. I think." Alex let her hand fall into her hands.

"Why does he hate me? I tried to be nice, but..." Tears started leaking out of her eyes. Her shoulder shook with silent sobs. Hermione was at her side in an instant, rubbing her back.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's gonna be okay. I'll talk to Harry, and see what's up, okay?" Alex nodded silently. She still wasn't happy, though. Harry wasn't going to stop hating her any time soon.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry still couldn't believe her. How could she do that? Even he had been suspicious of her, he didn't expect her to be a spy for Voldemort. He had finally given up on the Death Eater angle. But now that all this had happened, how could he trust her? Somehow Alex must have found out about the Order and told Voldemort. And he was going to have to find out why.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Unnerved, Alex sat trying to read in the common room. Hermione had told her Harry wasn't there so she had braved coming out. She was so distracted though. She hadn't thought of any reasons why Harry would be so mad at her, and Hermione hadn't been able to find anything out. She was totally lost on what was going on.

Over the next week, a number of eventful things happened. First, there was a mass breakout from Azkaban, and Fudge was blaming it on Sirius! Apparently a Ministry worker, who had been in St. Mungo's, was killed by a potted Devil's Snare. Unfortuantely, despite Alex's wishes, Hagrid was put on probation. And to top it all off, Umbridge got another one of those stupid decrees passed.

The decree banned teachers from talking to the students about anything other than their subject. It caused a lot of jokes, including one by Lee Jordan, about teachers not being able to tell off the students for talking in class. The next time she saw Lee, his hand was bleeding.

Hagrid and Trelawney were both becoming more and more nervous. Umbridge seemed insistant on sacking someone soon. She was becoming harder and harder on the two of them. Alex seriously hoped Hagrid would be able to keep it together longer than Trelawney, but that didn't seem to happening. Nobody had any idea who was going first.

The entire DA was improving quickly. The most noticable difference, however, was Neville. He had gone from worst in the class to being almost as good as Hermione. Alex remembered seeing that one of the Azkaban escapees had tortured an Alice and Frank Longbottom to insanity. She assumed these were Neville's parents, as he lived with his grandmother and rarely spoke of whis parents.

Quidditch was amazing. Every practice she felt like she was improving, and being on a broomstick was exhilirating. She set Harry as her example, and strived to be as good as him. It was unlikely, considering Harry was the best Seeker the school had had in years, but she still wanted to try. The entire team was doing well, but Ron was still missing self confidence, plus Jack and Andrew were nowhere as good as Fred and George. Under Angelina's direction, though, everyone was confident they could still win the Quidditch Cup.

There were many evenings when Harry would be gone from the common room. Ron and Hermione had said he was doing Remedial Potions, but Alex didn't buy it. Even Harry wasn't as bad as a lot of other Potion students. Besides, there was no way Snape would be willing to spend extra time teaching Harry unless he had to. Hopefully it wasn't anything too bad, but why would he keep it covered if it wasn't important?

The next Hogsmeade visit was coming up, but Alex wasn't going to go. Angelina had scheduled an all-day Quidditch practice, and she was not looking forward to it. But at least she could spend the day up in the air! As she glanced towards the path leading to the village, she saw Harry walking with Cho Chang. She smiled despite herself. Harry may have hated her, but she still cared about him and she thought it was great that he was going out with Cho.

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**I was pushing through major writer's block and lack of motivation guys, sorry. To MadiWeasley, I'm not apologizing about the pace of the story, but about the time it took me to get it up. I really appreciate everyone's continued support. Just a little something random, has anyone noticed J.K. Rowling's like for hogs? I mean, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Hog's Head. Strange, isn't it?**

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	30. Patronuses

**Thanks again for the reviews, guys! :) I need you guys to tell me something. Should I continue this after Harry finds out about Alex, or should I have an epilouge and call it good? Let me know! Anyways, here's the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

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After her awful Quidditch practice, Alex went to shower and clean up. She had tried to convince herself the team would be okay, but after that practice, nobody was going to be fooled. The team was horrible! It would be a miracle if they got any points during their match against Hufflepuff. She only hoped they would lose by a small enough margin so as to still be in the running for the Cup.

When the day of the match finally came, Alex didn't even have the hope fo feel nervous. She knew there was no way they would win. The Gryffindor table was very quiet at breakfast, and Professor McGonagall wasn't looking too happy either. It was only made worse for Alex when she saw Harry glaring at her. He was probably thinking it was her fault he and the twins got kicked off the team.

The match finally started. Alex watched from up high as her team got slaughtered. Ron couldn't save a shot to save his life, and their Beaters were a joke. Sloper actually hit Angelina in the mouth with his bat! And then Kirke fell off because Smith flew near him. Honestly. Finally, she spotted the Snitch. After a quick chase, she managed to catch it right in front of the Hufflepuff Seeker. They ended up only losing by ten points.

Alex had a familiar dream that night. It was one she had been having for a while, where she was wakling down a hallway. It was dark. There was a door in front of her, and she always had a burning urge to open it, yet she never made it that far. Something always woke her up before she could get inside.

The next morning, Alex noticed Harry get a copy of _The Quibbler_. It was some sort of Wizarding magazine, but she wasn't sure what sort of stuff was put in it. Glancing at the cover, she was surprised. Harry's face was acroos the entire thing. There was also a large red headline:

**HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:  
THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NO-BE-NAMED  
AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN**

This was pretty surprising, because she didn't know Harry had given an interview. It was probably a Hermione idea. This wasn't really something Harry would usually do of his own free will, someone would have to give him a really good reason. Hermione was the only one who would be able to get him to do it.

Letters started piling up in front of Harry. Alex assumed they were from readers. Umbridge took notice and walked over. She seemed to ask him some questions, and then Harry answered and threw the magazine to her. When she read the cover, her face turned purple. She seemed to whisper something to Harry then stormed away. Later in the day there were signs banning _The Quibbler_.

Alex smiled. Hermione was good. By Umbridge banning_ The Quibbler_, she guarranteed that every student would read it. By the end of the day, everyone seemed to have already read the interview. She was glad, because that meant people might actually start believing Harry. He definitely deserved that.

The next week, the thing they had all been worrying about happened. The first sacking. It started with screams coming from the entrance hall. The entire school went to see what was wrong. The scene that met them was a crying Trelawney, a smirking Umbridge, and a large pile of suitcases. Alex felt bad. Trelawney didn't deserve to get kicked out, despite how bad of a teacher she was.

Luckily for Trelawney, Dumbledore showed up. He stopped Umbridge from kicking Trelawney out, but he couldn't hire her again. Alex wasn't really sure why he kept ehre at Hogwarts, but she was glad to see him get a one-up on Umbridge.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In the DA, they finally started Patronuses. It took a little while, but people started being able to produce very nice shields. No one had made, as put formally, a _corporeal _Patronus. Harry was very surprised when a silver doe popped up in the middle of the class. Everyone stared at it. Harry walked towards it, then instead looked around to see who was casting it. He saw that Alex was the only one still holding her wand up, pointed straight at the doe.

Everyone looked at her for a moment, then started clapping. Alex blushed as her doe vanished. Harry was deep in thought, wondering why her Patronus was a doe. His was a stag, so it seemed odd that they would be so similar. He didn't notice everyone else start trying to conjure their own Patronuses. Soon, the room had more than one silver animal in it.

The group as a whole was very happy. Harry was pleased, but he had to continue reminding everyone that it was much harder with dementors. Suddenly, the door opened, and everyone froze. Alex, who was hidden in the crowd, stepped towards the door, then halted.

In a choking, teary voice, she said, "D-dobby?"

* * *

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what I should improve, ideas, whatever. :) **

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	31. Caught

**Kind of a cliffhanger on the last one, but I tried to finish this one quickly (but still make it good) so you wouldn't have to wait. I'll just let you get to the story. Chapter 31!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

* * *

Dobby stared at Alex with his large green eyes.

"Alex P-" He was cut off by Alex sweeping him into a huge hug.

"Dobby!" she said happily. Everyone in the DA was staring at her, all remains of the Patronuses gone. Harry stepped forward.

"How do you know Dobby?" Dobby looked from Alex to Harry, a confused expression.

"Harry Potter doesn't know that-"

"That my family and the Malfoys were good friends, and I saw them a lot growing up," Alex finished hurriedly. She gave Dobby a pointed look, and he seemed to understand it.

"Dobby, why are you here?" Harry asked. Dobby turned to him, suddenly shaking.

"Harry Potter sir, I came to warn you, she's-she's-"

"Dobby, who is she?" As soon as he said this he knew. "Umbridge, right?" Dobby nodded. "What about her? She-she doesn't _know_, does she? Is she coming?" Dobby nodded again, very quickly.

Alex stared at Harry and said, "What do we do?"

"RUN!" he bellowed. Nobody needed to be told twice. The room cleared very quickly. Harry gave Dobby a quick order to go back to the kitchens, then took off running with everyone else. He hadn't noticed Alex staying back, nor that she was now running just behind him. He tripped suddenly, and went flying. Alex fell next to him, as a pair of feet came up next to them.

"Potter. _Thompson._" Alex flinched at the excessive force put on her supposed surname. Turning behind him, Malfoy yelled, "I got two of them, Professor!" Umbridge came hurrying up, wearing a delighted smile.

"Oh, excellent work Draco. Fifty points to Slytherin. Continue searching for other delinquents, I'll take these two with me." She motioned for Harry and Alex to get to their feet, and then led them away. They got to the entrance to Dumbledore's office, and soon they were standing inside with McGonagall, Dumbledore, Kingsley, Fudge, Umbridge, and some other Auror whose name Harry did not know. Oh, and Percy Weasley, who was in the corner taking notes.

Fudge and Umbridge questioned both Harry and Alex, but got no proof from either one. Instead, they brought in Marrietta, Cho's friend who seemed reluctant to come in the first place. She had "Sneak" written across her face in purple spots. She refused to speak, however. Dumbledore also came to their defense, and when Marrietta was asked if they had been having regular meetings, she said _no_.

Harry looked at Alex. She seemed to be struggling to keep a confused expression off her face. He wasn't exactly understanding either. Why would she tattle, but then lie and say they hadn't been meeting? This was weird to say the least.

When Umbridge brought up their list, though, Harry froze. It said _Dumbledore's Army _on the top. Dumbledore's! It was supposed to be a joke, not get Dumbledore in trouble! Fudge read it, and smiled.

"Well, this changes things, doesn't it?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, it does."

"You've been plotting against me all this time?"

"Yes." Alex's eyes widened. Harry was a little slower, but he finally realized what Dumbledore was trying to do.

"NO!" Fudge yelled at him to be quiet, then started rambling about finally being able to arrest Dumbledore.

"Ah, I thought we might hit this little snag. You seem to be laboring under the delusion that I'm going to-what was the phrase? 'Come quietly.' In fact I have no intention of going to Azkaban at all."

Suddenly the mysterious Auror and Kingsley darted forward, but there was a flash of silver light as Harry felt himself forced to the ground. There were a few more bangs and sounds of a scuffle, but then all was silent. He looked up to see Professor McGonagall crouching above him, Alex, and Marrietta. There was dust floating through the air, and as Harry sat up he saw a tall figure coming towards them.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I believe we're fine," McGonagall replied. Alex got to her feet, holding her head while McGonagall pulled up Marrietta.

The entire office was in wrecks. Fawkes was flying in circles overhead, barely visible through the dust. After exchanging a few words, Professor Dumbledore turned to Harry.

Grabbing his wrist, he said, "Harry, you must remember to close your mind." As he said it Harry felt the extreme urge to bite, attack,_ kill_. Dumbledore pulled away, and grabbing Fawkes's tail feathers, disappeared in a flash of fire. The Ministry workers woke up, but with no more evidence against Harry and Alex, were forced to let them leave. They walked together down the stairs. As soon as they were far enough away, however, Harry once again pushed Alex into the wall.

"Dude!" she yelled at him. "What is your problem?" Harry glared at her.

"My _problem _is that you are spying on me and my friends, and giving the information to Voldemort." She stared at him.

"_What?! _You think _I'm _a spy for Voldemort? That's insane!"

"You're telling me. Why would you work for him?"

"Get it through your thick skull that I'm not a spy!" Harry's eyes narrowed and he drew his wand. She pulled away from the wall and faced him. Before she could react though, he hit her with an unknown spell. She flew backwards down the hall, landing hard on her left shoulder. She stood shakily, but Harry ran up pushed her back against the stone.

Grabbing Alex's left arm, Harry pulled up her sleeve. He rubbed on it, but to his surprise no makeup came off. He looked back at her, surprise showing on her face.

"But, I was sure that-"

"Yeah, well, you were wrong. Only just now realized that?" Harry sheepishly met her eyes. Her deep, hazel eyes. They looked exactly like his father's. So-wait. His _father's? _Dobby had said Alex's name, but he started saying something else, something that started with a P... His eyes automatically slid to her forehead. Sure enough, on the right side, was a lightning shaped scar.

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**:D Sooo, readers, don't murder me. I'll get the next chapter out soon, I promise! Okay? Heh heh... Anyway, thanks for reading, and review?**


	32. Rejected

**I have the new chapter! Don't kill me! By the way, after they finish their fifth year, I'm going to be starting a new story so this one doesn't drag on too long. It'll start towards the end of their sixth year, and go through the end of the final battle. I don't know what I'm gonna call it, though, but I'll let you know when I figure it out. Now, for chapter 32!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

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Harry stared at his supposedly dead twin sister. Alex Potter. She. Was. _Alive. _And looking very scared. He held out his hand to pull her up. She took it shakily. When she was on her feet, she refused to meet his eye. Alex tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm before she could leave.

"Alex, talk to me. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't want to tell you. I guess I was afraid you would reject me." Tears started leaking out of her eyes.

Harry was surprised.

"You thought I wouldn't accept you? I can't believe you thought I would do that. I would have been happy if you told me! Alex, I thought you were dead. I didn't care if I had never met you, I was devastated. I-I don't know what to say right now. Does anyone else know?"

"Yeah. Hermione. She figured it out right at the start of the winter holidays." Harry was getting angry.

"She _knew? _I just- I have to go." He stormed off, leaving behind a crying Alex.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Harry! You can't just walk away from her. She is your _sister." _Harry sighed.

"Hermione, she lied to me. I spent the last six months thinking she was dead. I'm not just going to welcome her with open arms now." He glared at Hermione, then went back to his work.

"Harry..."

"No."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex sat in her dormitory, wishing she could just start everything over. Harry knew she was his sister, and still hated her and didn't want to talk to her. Except now it was because she hadn't told him about it sooner. Hermione had been right, she should have just been up front and honest. She could never do things right, and it always got things screwed up.

The door opened softly, and Hermione walked in. She sat down next to Alex.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't talk any sense into him. He is so stubborn sometimes." Alex smiled lightly at that. She had noticed.

Alex stood up and said, "I'm going to go talk to him." She walked downstairs to find Harry sitting in the common room. She walked up to him, and cleared her throat. "Harry. We need to talk."

"About what? I understand just fine."

"No, you don't. Can you just listen? Please?" He nodded once, which Alex smiled at. "Okay. So, after our parents were killed, Hagrid must have thought I was dead, and left me back at our house. Bellatrix Lestrange found me and took me to her sister's house. I grew up with the Malfoys. They knew who I was, but didn't explain a lot to me. When I was eleven I got a wand, but I learned magic there. The summer after your fourth year, Voldemort came for me. I just barely escaped on a broom, and came to Little Whinging. That was when I ran into you. I then came to Hogwarts. Since I had no idea how many people knew I existed, or where they thought I was, I had to pretend to be someone else. I was also trying to protect you, so Voldemort couldn't use me against you. I'm really sorry."

Harry stared at his sister. She had lived with the Malfoys? That must have been why Malfoy knew who she was, and why Dobby knew her. After thinking it over for a little while, he smiled.

"I'm sorry too. I was a jerk for being so mean when I found out. I'm actually really happy, I was just a little overwhelmed at first." Alex shook her head.

"No, I was the wrong one for not telling you. So, friends?"

"Twins," he corrected. She grinned. Before he could react, she wrapped him in a hug. He froze, not expecting it. But right as she was about to pull away, he hugged her back. At that moment, Ron walked in.

"Wha-" he said, just as Alex and Harry turned towards him. Alex jumped up suddenly.

"Ron, look-" A silly grin was spreading across Ron's face.

"I see what's going on here." He wagged his eyebrows at Harry, who stood up as well.

"Ron, we're not- ugh. She's my sister," he blurted. Alex did a facepalm.

"Way to break it slowly, Harry." Ron was looking from Harry to Alex repeatedly.

"You're joking, right?" Both of them shook their heads. His face grew extremely confused. "But, your sister is dead, right?"

"I don't know, I seem pretty alive, don't you think?" Alex asked.

"But how are you sure?" With a sigh, Alex pulled up her bangs to reveal her scar. Ron looked extremely surprised, but then very happy. "That's great! Does Hermione know?"

"Yeah, she figured it out on her own," Harry replied. "Not that it's much of a surprise she did."

"True that," Ron said. A sudden thought crossed Alex's mind.

"We're going to have to tell McGonagall."

* * *

**I'm probably not going to be able to update until late tomorrow, just a heads up. There's a small chance of another chapter tonight. :)**

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	33. Revealed

**New chapter! :) So, I want to know, where in year six should I pick up the new story? Give me ideas! Anyway, chapter 33!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Alex left her hand hovering over the door to McGonagall's office, not wanting to knock. She looked at Harry, who gave a half-hearted encouraging smile. It was the day after Dumbledore's flight. The twins had decided to go to McGonagall's office before breakfast just to get it over with.

Alex finally knocked. The door opened quickly to show a harried looking McGonagall.

"What do you two need?" Harry and Alex exchanged glances, and Harry nodded.

"Professor, we have something important to tell you." McGonagall stepped back, permitting them to enter. They stood awkwardly in front of her desk.

"Well?"

Taking a deep breath, Alex said, "Professor, I'm Alex Potter." Whatever McGonagall had been expecting, it wasn't that.

"But, Alex Potter is dead! No one was supposed to know she existed."

"Hence why I know. Because I'm her." McGonagall turned to Harry.

"Potter, is this true?" she asked.

"Yes, Professor. Alex, show her the-" Harry stopped, not saying scar. Alex got the message, though, and pulled her bangs aside yet again. McGonagall gasped.

"You really are Alex Potter," she said in amazement.

"You think?" Alex muttered under her breath. Harry smiled. McGonagall looked between the two of them.

"How long have you known?"

"Since yesterday. Harry found out after he _attacked _me." Cue the pointed glare at Harry. He flinched away from her slightly before realizing she was now smiling. "Anyway, Professor, we just wanted you to know."

"And I figured you would want to tell the Order," Harry added. Alex looked at him, confused.

"The Order? What?"

"I'll explain later."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hovering outside the Great Hall, Alex was very jittery. After talking it over, she and Harry had agreed to just walk in and act like nothing was up, but have Alex keep her scar uncovered. Unfortunately, this was a little harder than it seemed.

"Harry-"

"Come on, Alex. You'll be fine."

"But-"

"No. Go. In." Finally he managed to drag his sister into the Great Hall and to the Gryffindor table. They sat down with Ron and Hermione, Alex glancing around trying to tell if anyone had seen her scar. Hermione leaned across the table.

"Alex, calm down. Nothing's going to happen," she said soothingly. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"You mean besides people asking me a ton of questions?"

"Questions about what?" came a voice from behind her. Of all the people Alex wanted to tell first, Fred and George were not high on that list.

"Well?" George asked. He plopped himself down next to Alex, and looked straight at her. A grin spread over his face. "Geez, Alex, I knew a lot of people who were Harry Potter fans, but no one who's gone so far as to draw on their own scar!"

Alex gave Harry a look that clearly said "help me!" He nodded, then turned to the two Weasleys.

"She's my twin sister." Fred and George looked at him, then at each other, and burst out laughing.

"You-two-twins?" Fred got out breathlessly. "That's hilarious!" Alex glared at him. They slowly managed to calm down.

"Okay, if you're twins, prove it," George challenged.

"How?" Alex asked incredulously. Fred looked stumped.

"Huh, didn't think of that. I guess you are both thick-headed little gits, so it makes sense."

"Hey!" Harry and Alex said simultaneously. Fred and George smiled.

"Yup, their twins! Fred, you thinking what I'm thinking?" George asked.

"I sure am, George." Fred replied.

Before anyone could ask, they both stood up on their seats and yelled as loud as they could, "Alex Thompson is Harry Potter's twin sister!" Alex buried her face in her hands as almost everyone in the Great Hall turned to stare at her and Harry. The Weasley twins sat down and grinned.

"Now everyone knows!" Fred said.

"You're welcome," George added.

The usual chatter that filled the Great Hall was now replaced by whispered conversations. Harry noticed a lot of people craning their necks to try and see Alex, wondering if she had a scar. Finally some Slytherin plucked up the courage to say what everyone was thinking.

"If she really is, then why doesn't she prove it?" Everyone else at the Slytherin table agreed loudly, and the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and even some of the Gryffindor tables joined in. Umbridge was trying to restore order, but not succeeding. Finally, Alex brought her head out of her hands, and stood on the bench like Fred and George.

"That's right, everyone, I am _not_ actually Alex Thompson, I'm Alex Potter. Anyone who doesn't believe me can come see my scar." With that, she sat down, leaving a stunned silence behind. Then, as a mass movement, most of the people in the Hall got up to walk over to where she sat. Alex was congenial, talking to everyone, introducing herself again and again, and sharing her story. Harry was also being bombarded with questions, which he answered to the best of his ability.

After nearly ten minutes, Umbridge managed to force her way through the crowd and get to Alex and Harry. She glared down at them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Alex gave her a cocky grin.

"I think I already said, didn't I? I. Am. Alex. Potter," she said very slowly, as if Umbridge was stupid. Harry and Ron had to stifle laughs, while Hermione looked appalled. Most of the surrounding crowd gasped, while a couple people snickered. Umbridge's face turned red.

"Detention, Miss Thompson, for spreading such ridiculous lies." Alex rolled her eyes. When Umbridge turned to walk away, she stuck out her tongue like a five-year-old. A lot of people laughed, but when Umbridge whirled around to see what was going on, she assumed a fake innocent face. Scowling at her, Umbridge walked off, leaving Alex, Ron, and Harry laughing together.

* * *

**I was going to have everyone get introduced to her individual, but this made it a lot easier. I'm not going to be able to update until late tomorrow. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

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	34. Chaos

**Well, you guys seemed to find the last chapter fairly humorous, which is good, because that's what I wanted. :) This story has been a little too serious, so who better to get a laugh than Fred and George Weasley? Anyway, thanks for the reviews, guys! Chapter 34!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

* * *

That night, Alex bade goodnight to Harry, Ron, and Hermione while she went off to her detention. She wasn't looking forward to having her hand carved into again, but at least it had been worth it. The look on Umbridge's face had been priceless, and the school had definitely needed someone to show them that standing up to her wasn't so hard after all. She still needed to kill Fred and George, though.

Surprising enough, when Alex got to Umbridge's office, there was no parchment or quill. Instead, Umbridge sat with an array of different drinks in front of her.

"Good evening, Miss _Thompson,_" Umbridge said, obviously emphasizing Alex's fake last name.

"It's Potter, _Professor,_" Alex replied, using the same emphasis on Umbridge's title in a mocking voice. She knew being rude like this was a bad idea, but she couldn't help but do so anyway.

"What would you like to drink, Miss Thompson?" she asked, ignoring Alex's insolence. "I have tea, pumpkin juice, coffee..."

"I'm fine."

"No, dear, I insist."

"Fine, coffee. Whatever," Alex said. Umbridge smiled, and made a huge show of preparing the drink. She set it down in front of Alex.

"Drink up." Looking at her drink, Alex suspected Umbridge was going to ask her some questions, and wanted the truth. And chances were there was some sort of truth potion, something she should _not_ be drinking. She instead opted for pretending to sip it. "Now then. What is your real name?"

"Alex Potter."

"Drink up, drink up. Now, how could you be Mr. Potter's twin sister if the Ministry had no idea you existed?"

"Because I was kept a secret."

"And you think your parents would be able to keep something like that from the _Ministry_?" Umbridge asked incredulously.

"Well, if it's the same Ministry dumb enough to not believe Harry, then yeah, I do." Alex smirked at Umbridge who seemed to be attempting to grasp what to say.

"All right," she said finally. "Where is Albus Dumbledore?" Alex had been expecting this.

"No idea."

"Don't forget you coffee, dear. Come on, Miss Potter, let's not play childish games." Umbridge's eyes grew wide when she realized her mistake. Smirking, Alex didn't say anything, but felt an internal victory.

"I don't know where Dumbledore is."

"Well, if you don't know where he is, then where is Sirius Black?" This came as a surprise to Alex. How did she know Sirius had been contacting Hogwarts?

"I don't know, Professor. He's a mass murderer on the loose, why would I know where he is?"

"Well, assuming you truly are Mr. Potter's sister, you would know that it was I who nearly caught Black while he was talking to Mr. Potter in the Gryffindor common room. I'll ask one more time. Where. Is. Sirius. Black?" Umbridge asked, mimicking Alex's sentence from earlier.

"No. Idea," came Alex's ready reply. "Can I go now?" Umbridge's eyes narrowed.

"Very well, Miss Potter. I will be watching you." Alex gave her a strange look as she exited.

"Stalker," she muttered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The next day at lunch, Harry was called to Umbridge's office. Alex assumed he was going to get asked similar questions to her. She had already warned him, so hopefully everything would turn out okay, because he actually knew where Sirius was.

Halfway through eating, Alex, and everyone else in the Great Hall, heard a loud boom coming from somewhere in the hallways. She glanced at Ron and Hermione. Hermione looked thoroughly bewildered, while Ron was just wearing a pleased and devilish grin.

"Ron," Alex said. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Fred and George," was all he replied with, but she got the pictured. They, along with a lot of other people, exited through the huge doors to be met with a chaotic scene. There was a vast array of enchanted fireworks rocketing through the air. Alex smiled. If there was one thing Fred and George were good at, it was wreaking havoc.

Umbridge seemed totally lost on what to do. She stood next to Filch, transfixed with horror as she watched the pyrotechnical miracles shoot off in different directions, through doors and into other parts of the castle. Umbridge attempted to Stun one, which only made it explode, blasting a hole in one of the portraits. Alex glanced next to her, realizing Fred and George were there.

"This is amazing, you guys!" she exclaimed while giving them high fives.

"I would agree with you on that one, Alex," George said.

Throughout the rest of the day, all the teachers called upon Umbridge to come sort out the fireworks. Alex was sure they could take of them on their own, but it was quite entertaining to see Umbridge struggle with them. The highlight of it was walking back to Gryffindor Tower with Harry, where they saw Flitwick essentially make fun of Umbridge's rules then shut the door in her face.

That night, the dream came again, but this time, the door opened. Alex felt herself walk into a circular room, where she then continued through another two doors, finally ending up at her destination. The room she was currently in held row upon row of dusty spun-glass spheres. Without pausing to look at them, however, she went past shelf after shelf, headed towards a certain one, but before she could get there, she was awakened by a burning in her scar.

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**Well, I wasn't sure I was going to finish this chapter tonight, but I'm glad I did! :) Just for a heads up, this story will continue to the fifth book, and then I will start the second story. That one will go through the sixth and seventh books, but there will be a lot of small time skips. And if it's still going strong, I might write another story about their lives after the final battle. Anyway, just wanted to make that clear. Thanks for reading!**

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**I'm done putting on a review limit, because you guys are breaking three (hey, that sounds like "Breaking Free" from HSM... sorry) anyway. But still review!  
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	35. Sirius and Lupin

**I have a good excuse for the lack of updates and a bad excuse. The good excuse is writer's block. After the last chapter, I just couldn't think of what to write. The bad excuse is just plain old laziness for not trying to work my way out of the writer's block. Oh, well. At least I have it up now. :) Here you go. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  
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"Wait, so, you're just not doing Occlumency anymore?" Alex asked.

"Yes, haven't we already covered this?" Harry replied exasperatedly.

"Ugh. Never mind," Alex said.

Snape had ended up refusing to give Harry more lessons after he looked into the Pensieve holding Snape's thoughts. Not that he was going to tell anyone that, because he still couldn't really process what he saw. Snape had always made his father come across as a horrible, arrogant man. Harry had in no way believed him, but after what he saw, he couldn't be sure.

The Easter holidays passed quickly for all the fifth years. For many of them, it was because of the realization that their exams were only six weeks away. Suddenly, all jokes about the exams vanished, and everyone started buckling down to start doing some real studying.

Mrs. Weasley had obviously been told about Alex, for when her usual package of Easter eggs came, it included one for Alex as well. Unfortunately, Ginny got a bit careless and decided to hand them over while they were in the library. Madame Pince wasn't exactly happy to see them with chocolate in there.

Although she had been immersed in studying, Alex couldn't help but notice a rather dramatic change in Harry's attitude. He was being a lot more serious, and a lot less friendly. It was a little unnerving, but when she tried to talk to him about he, he brushed it off as stress from studying for examinations. It wasn't until Ginny asked that he finally said he wanted to talk with Sirius.

Alex agreed with him, wanting to talk to Sirius herself. It would be the first time she would have talked to someone outside of Hogwarts who knew her identity. The catch was, how were they going to do it? Luckily, Fred and George, being the pranksters they were, knew exactly how to create a long enough distraction so they could sneak into Umbridge's office and use the Floo Network.

The next day, both of them were rather distracted. It didn't help that Hermione kept trying to talk Harry out of it, but he wasn't budging. He also had Ron and Alex as backup, which helped push his argument a lot farther.

Spending the day in a haze, it was with a jolt that Alex realized she had two minutes to get across the castle and to McGonagall's office for her Career Advice. Luckily, at a dead sprint, she made it just in time. McGonagall didn't seem too happy, and Alex realized that was because of a certain pink figure sitting in the corner. Trying her best to ignore her, Alex sat down, facing McGonagall.

"Well, Potter, I'm sure you know why you're here?" Alex nodded. "So, do you have any idea what you would like to do after Hogwarts?"

"Well, I was sort of thinking about trying out for professional Quidditch..." McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

"You do realize how few openings there usually are, even for the best of players?"

"Yes, I do, but I really enjoy it, so I want to try anyway."

"And if it doesn't work out, do you have a backup plan?"

"Maybe working at the Ministry? I was wondering what sort of qualifications it took to work in the department of Magical Sports and Games." At this, Umbridge gave a small cough that almost sounded like the coverup of a laugh. However, McGonagall ignored her and proceeded to list the different classes Alex would need to take and the levels at which she would need to pass. Umbridge seemed to lose her patience, and decided to cut in.

"You do realize, Minerva, that the Ministry only hires the people they deem worthy, not just those who have the right qualifications? That includes past records, and those of their families?" Alex narrowed her eyes at the hated professor. This was obviously a dig at her brother, which she most certainly did not appreciate.

Unfortunately, before Alex could retaliate, McGonagall said, "Well, Miss Potter, if that is all, I think we're done here." She ended with a pointed look in Umbridge's direction, which Alex knew meant that she needed to get out of there before an argument broke out. She walked out the door, and down the hall. On the way, she passed Harry, who seemed to have also forgotten about his career consultation.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As the screams and yells commenced from the east wing, Harry and Alex took off at a sprint towards Umbridge's office. True to their word, Fred and George had managed to attract nearly the entire school's attention, and there was no one on this side. Harry quickly used his magical knife to unlock the door, and they hurried inside. When they reached the fireplace, however, there was a bit of a dilemma.

"Can two people do it at once?" Alex asked, uncertain.

"I don't know, but do we really want to test it?" Harry replied. Alex had to agree with that, so Harry threw some Floo powder on the fire, and called out Sirius's address. Then, not quite sure what to do, he stuck his head into the emerald flames, with the weirdest feeling of only his head whirling around. When it stopped, he saw the interior of the kitchen, looking up at Remus Lupin.

"Lupin?" The man jumped, then turned to the fire.

"Harry! What is it? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just- well, me and someone else wanted to talk to Sirius. Would it be all right if we came all the way through?" Lupin nodded.

"I'll go get Sirius." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Harry staring at an empty room. With another strange feeling, he withdrew his head from the fire, finding himself back in Umbridge's office.

"Lupin said it's okay for us to come through. You go first. It's number twelve, Grimmauld Place." Alex looked at him uncertainly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go!" he said hurriedly. "We don't have that much time." Alex clamored into the fireplace, and throwing down her power, she spun away, hopefully to the right place. After giving her a moment, Harry followed. As he stepped out of the fire, he saw Alex standing awkwardly in the kitchen, alone. "They haven't come back yet?" Before she had a chance to reply, Lupin entered, with Sirius on his heels.

Immediately seeing Harry, Sirius said, "Harry, what's wrong? Do you need help?" Like Lupin, he seemed very concerned.

"No, Sirius, it's nothing like that. I have something I want to talk to you about, but first there's someone you need to meet." Harry turned towards Alex. "Sirius, Lupin, this is my sister, Alex. Alex, Sirius and Lupin." Alex smiled slightly, looking very nervous. It wasn't surprising, as Sirius was just standing there staring at her, Lupin doing almost exactly the same thing. Luckily, the latter recovered quickly.

"Hello, Alex. My name is Remus Lupin. I was a friend of your parents and Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in third year." Alex smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Alex, as you already know. Actually, you probably know just as much about me as I do." Lupin laughed.

"Probably not." Finally, Sirius seemed to get over his shock, and smiled at Alex.

"I'm sure Harry's already told you I'm not a murderer, seeing as you aren't running away screaming," he started, trying to make a joke.

"He did, and I trust him. So if he murderers me, Harry, I swear I will kill you," Alex said with a completely serious face. The others all smiled, glad she was comfortable enough to make jokes.

"I guess you already know this, but I'm Sirius Black. I'm your and Harry's godfather." Lupin frowned, pondering something.

"Alex, we spent the last 14 years thinking you had been killed by Voldemort. How did you survive, and where have you been all these years?"

"Well, as for how I survived, I know as much as Harry does. The curse must have bounced off somehow, leaving the scar behind. And I lived with the Malfoys, as a servant. I escaped this summer, when Voldemort came to try and kill me." Both the adults looked alarmed. She immediately started trying to explain. "He didn't really have much time to do anything, because I already had a wand, so I Summoned a broom and flew here. With a few side stops." They seemed to calm down a bit, but not too much. Harry decided to start talking about his issue.

"There was another reason why we came. I needed to talk to you guys about, well, my dad." They exchanged surprised looks. It definitely wasn't what they were expecting. Harry explained what he had seen in the Pensieve, and then waited to see what they would say. Alex was just standing off to the side, looking slightly alarmed by what their father had done.

Because they were pressed for time, Harry had to discuss it quickly. Both Lupin and Sirius seemed to be able to brush it off as the stupid ways of a teenager, but Harry still wasn't sure. They didn't seem too interested until he mentioned that he wasn't getting Occlumency lessons anymore. They told him he needed to go back to Snape and ask to start them again. Harry agreed, but only to get them to leave him alone. They would have talked for longer, but Alex cut in.

"I hate to interrupt, but Harry, we've been here for twenty minutes. Umbridge will probably be back in her office any minute."

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**I'll try to get the next update out sooner, but no promises. School starts soon for me, so I need to get ready for that, plus when school starts it'll be hard to update more often than once a week. Thanks for reading! **

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	36. Quidditch Final

**Well, I'm glad I managed to get you guys the chapter faster this time! :) Again, I'm sorry about the wait for the last chapter, I totally understand if it frustrated you, I was pretty unhappy with myself. But that's the past, and this is now, so here's the next chapter! **

**.rettoP yrraH nwo t'nod I :remialcsiD  
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**Wow, that was hard to type...  
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Harry looked at his sister, surprised. He had completely forgotten about their time limit. It was a good thing she had remembered, otherwise they would have been in trouble. Alex nodded for him to go first, so he headed towards the fire.

"Wait, before we go," Alex said, "How did you guys take our news so easily? I would have expected you to have deemed us liars." Lupin laughed gently.

"Professor McGonagall had written earlier. We weren't really sure whether or not to believe her, but seeing you easily made the proof." Alex nodded.

With a hasty goodbye, Harry stepped into the fireplace once more. He said the words, and spun through the suffocating tube until he reached Umbridge's office. Climbing out, he turned an waited for Alex, who appeared quickly. They ran to the door, but just as they were about to open it, it was pushed from the outside. Quickly, they flattened themselves against the wall, hiding behind the door as Filch walked in.

Filch was obviously excited for something. He rifled through the papers on Umbridge's desk, looking for something. Alex looked scared out of her mind, and Harry didn't blame her. If they were caught, the punishment would be very severe. Luckily, the old caretaker was too absorbed in whatever he was looking for, because he didn't notice them. He picked up a piece of parchment, smiling at it.

"Yes, the approval for whipping. Those little whelps had it coming." With that, he hurried out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him. The twins let out a sigh of relief, glad not to have been discovered. Harry pulled out the invisibility cloak, throwing it over the two of them. Silently, they crept out of the office, and towards whatever Fred and George's distraction had been.

Staying under the invisibility cloak, Alex and Harry walked through the hallways. When it seemed safe, Harry pulled it off and stuffed it into his bag. They then went to the entrance hall, which seemed to be holding a lot of activity. Upon arriving, they were met with a scene similar to the night Trelawney was sacked. There was a large ring of student surrounding Fred and George, who seemed to have been caught in the act of whatever they had done.

"So, you think it was amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp?" Umbridge asked. Harry hadn't noticed her before, but now he saw she was standing on the steps so as to be looking down on her prey.

"Yeah, I found it pretty amusing," Fred said, not looking scared in the slightest. Filch managed to push his way though the crowd to stand next to Umbridge. He clutched the piece of parchment in his hand, and looked happier than Harry had ever seen him.

"I have the whips ready, may I proceed?" Umbridge smiled at him.

"Yes, Argus." Once again directing her voice at Fred and George, she said, "You tow are about to be an example of how rulebreakers are punished from now on." The red-haired twins looked at each other.

"You know, Fred, I don't really fancy sticking around much longer. What about you?" George asked.

"I agree, George. I think it's time for us to test our talent in the real world." They smiled, then raised their wands.

"_Accio brooms_!" they called in unison. There came a loud crash followed by two broomsticks flying towards their owners, one still dragging the chain and peg that was supposed to be holding it to the wall in Umbridge's office. Reaching their destination, the brooms stopped as Fred and George mounted quickly.

"Well, we won't be seeing you!" Fred said congenially. George then turned to the crowd.

"If anyone is interested in some fun gags, come to number 93, Diagon Alley, which will soon be Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" he called. The twins then kicked off the ground, flying through the air next to Peeves. Fred told him to make Umbridge miserable, and despite Harry never seeing Peeves listen to a student before, he knew this time the poltergeist would listen. With that, the two pranksters flew out the front doors and away from Hogwarts.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Throughout the next few weeks, the amount of pranks was unbelievable. So many people wanted to now fill the spot of Chief Troublemaker that you had to be very careful all the time, so as to not walk into a trap. It had become the new fashion to perform the Bubble-Head Charm upon yourself before exiting a room, due to the number of Stinkpellets and Dungbombs being thrown around.

Alex had been amazed by it all, happy to see people finally fighting back against Umbridge. It was especially hilarious to watch in class, because as soon as Defense Against the Dark Arts started, at least half the class would suddenly faint, vomit, and develop nosebleeds and fevers. Umbridge never could locate the source, the students telling her they had Umbridge-itis. She was forced to let them leave class in crowds.

The thing that topped it off for Alex, though, was when she realized the teachers were fighting, too. They always turned a blind eye on the pranks being played. Not a single detention was given out by anyone but Umbridge herself. In fact, when Peeves was attempting to loosed a crystal chandelier, Alex and Harry could have sworn they heard McGonagall mutter, "It unscrews the other way."

As the end of the year drew nearer, Alex grew very nervous. The final Quidditch match of the season was drawing nearer. It was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, who had a very good team put together, while Gryffindor was struggling just to work together at all. Only Ron seemed to have a positive attitude about it.

"Well, I'm about as bad as it'll get," he said truthfully. "There's only one direction I can go, and it's up!"

On the day of the match, Alex was feeling horrible. Even at her first game, she wasn't this nervous. It was essentially up to her on whether or not they won. Ron had a lot of pressure on him too, but he was taking it in stride. Hopefully the Slytherins wouldn't sing that awful song of theirs and make him scared again, because he performed fine when there wasn't any pressure.

When it came time for the match, the entire team simply walked dejectedly onto the field. Even the commentator, Lee Jordan, was dispirited, but that may have been partially because Fred and George left. The game started dismally, with Ravenclaw Captain Davies dodging all three of their Chasers and scoring. As everyone expected, the Slytherins started singing their horrible song again. The game continued, Alex not having high hopes for a good outcome.

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"Hagrid, are you going to tell us why you dragged us out here?" Harry asked. Hagrid had pulled them away from the match to come see something in the forest. The large man turned to face him nervously.

"Well, firs' Harry, I wanted ter know, how are things with you an' Alex?" The question took him a little off guard.

"Uh, good. We're getting along nicely, I guess..." he said, not really sure how to reply.

"Tha's good. I'm glad you two are all righ' with each other."

"Hagrid, what is this about?" Hermione asked again. Hagrid didn't reply this time, but instead continued to lead them deeper into the woods. Hermione looked at Harry, who shrugged, and they followed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alex looked up at Ron, then at the small golden ball in her hand, then back at Ron. She didn't believe it. They had just won the Quidditch Cup! Ron grinned beyond belief, and Alex was sure her face mirrored his. The entire team flew together in a large group hug, screaming with joy. Somehow, their Keeper had gotten over his fright just in time, saving the day by saving goal after goal, while encouraging the rest of the team to do great as well. As a group, they flew downward, hitting the ground hard. A crowd of cheering Gryffindors overwhelmed them, as Alex and Ron were lifted onto their shoulders.

Glancing through the crowd, Alex vaguely noticed Harry and Hermione weren't in sight, but she figured they were just hidden within the swarming mass. She was handed the large silver Cup, and she held it high in the air before passing it to Ron, the real star of the game. He waved it happily, basking in the joy practically radiating off the crowd. They were borne towards the castle, when Ron seemed to have spotted their friends.

"HARRY! HERMIONE! WE DID IT! WE WON!" he yelled, utterly beside himself. Alex followed his gaze, seeing the pair looking oddly disheveled. But before she could ponder it much, they were carried inside, Ron hitting his head on the lintel, but still not being set down. They were carried all the way back to the common room, where the victory party commenced.

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**Yay, happy ending! :) There haven't been many of those, but this one definitely needed it, considering the, er, _dramatic _parts of the story are going to happen soon. Thanks once more for reading! **

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	37. After Party

**Sorry about the slight wait. I had an all day babysitting class, plus a sleepover. All typos or grammatical errors are from lack of sleep. :P Here's the new chapter. :)  
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**Dlamcisiemr: I dno't own Hrary Ptetor.  
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**No, I don't suck at typing. That was done on purpose. :)  
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The party that followed the match lasted until one in the morning. Alex had a lot of fun. Everyone was trying to fulfill Fred and George's usual party jokes, by hiding different Skiving Snackboxes and other tricks in the food and drinks. It was hilarious, but finally people got smart and started checking their food before eating it. Alex herself never got pranked, although several people tried.

Alex noticed her brother being kind of distant. When he congratulated her, his mind seemed to be other places. She asked if he was okay, hoping he would tell her what was going on. No such luck, because he said he was fine and went of to find Hermione. _Again. _Them hanging out wasn't unusual, but normally Harry would be spending more time with Ron. She wondered what happened during the match.

She would have continued thinking about Harry, had it not been for Dean Thomas. Alex wasn't all that surprised that he sought her out, considering how she had caught him watching her on several occasions during the year. She smiled as he walked up, holding two drinks.

"Uh, hey Alex," he said, looking nervous. "I, er, got you a butterbeer." She grinned at him.

"Thanks, Dean." He smiled as he handed it to her.

"So, uh, I was wondering. Would you, er, like to go out with me?" he stuttered. Her eyes widened slightly. She didn't know why she didn't expect it, but she hadn't. Dean seemed to sense her surprise, but took it as distaste. "Never mind, I shouldn't have asked. I'll just-" He started to turn, but Alex grabbed his arm, cutting him off.

"Of course I'll go out with you, Dean," Alex said with a smile. Then it was his turn to be surprised.

"Really?" She nodded. His face broke into a huge grin. "Great!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry glanced up from his conversation with Hermione, her having pointed to a secluded corner of the room. He was surprised to seen Alex talked with Dean Thomas, standing apart from everyone else. He glanced at Hermione, who was smiling in a secretive way.

"Hermione, what's this about?"

"Just look," she said. Harry looked back just in time to see Alex lean over and peck Dean on the cheek. He felt his jaw drop, but didn't do anything about it. Had they been dating for a while? Or had he only just asked her out? Either way, he didn't approve of her dating _anyone. _As he thought this, she walked over to them.

"Hey," she said happily. He glared at her. "What?" Alex asked defensively.

"You. Dean. When was I going to know about it?" She blushed, but put a determined look on her face.

"First, I can date whoever I want to. And second, he just asked me out, like, ten minutes ago. Geez." He still didn't seem happy.

"Oh, give it up, Harry. Just leave her alone," Hermione said, coming to Alex's rescue. The two girls exchanged looks, which Harry was unable to read. Frustrated, he went to bed, with the realization he would never understand the female mind.

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The next day, Harry and Alex totally ignored each other. Hermione tried to get them to talk, but neither one was budging. Finally, she gave up and just went on listening to Ron go over the match again and again. Honestly, she needed to find a way to tell him about Grawp, but he was so happy about the outcome of the game, she didn't want to bring him back to Earth in such a brutal fashion. Instead, they all went outside and sat under the beech tree by the lake, as Ron once again did a play-by-play.

"And Alex, you remember the look on Chang's face when you caught the Snitch right out from under her nose?" Alex grinned slightly. She did remember, but Hermione had told her about Grawp last night, plus she was still mad at Harry, so talking about the match wasn't the first think on her mind.

"I suppose she cried, did she?" Harry said bitterly. Alex glanced at him.

"Yeah, she did, but she was really just angry. I mean, you saw her throw away her broom at the end," she said pointedly, knowing very well he didn't see anything of the sort. Ron nodded in agreement.

"Er, thing is, Ron, we didn't see any of the match at all," Hermione started.

"What?" he asked, surprised. "You didn't see me make any of those saves?" Harry and Hermione shook their heads. "Where were you?"

Carefully, they proceeded to tell him about Grawp, and what Hagrid wanted them to do. By the end, his disappointment had vanished and was replaced by shock. It wasn't until Hermione mention Norbert that Alex got involved.

"Who's Norbert?" she asked curiously. Hermione looked at the two boys, then they launched into the tale of Hagrid's pet dragon from their first year.

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What felt like weeks before anyone was ready, exams came around. The fifth and seventh years were by this point scrambling to get in any last minute studying done before they took the tests that could determine what jobs they were eligible for. A flourishing black market of brain boosters appeared, tempting many. Even Harry and Ron almost bought something, before Hermione confiscated it.

Their first exam was Theory of Charms. Hermione panicked and spent the breakfast before it reading _Achievement in Charming _ while many other people simply had nervous-breakdown-like symptoms while they tried to eat. After breakfast, they were called back into the Great Hall class by class to complete their test papers. Afterwards, Hermione seemed much calmer, knowing how hard it would be from now on.

Lunch with the rest of the school came and went, and finally they were called back into the Great Hall in small groups for their practical examination. Professor Marchbanks, although seemed to try to stay impassive, seemed rather excited to be testing Harry Potter's twin sister. Alex couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as the test went on.

Throughout the week, a similar process continued with each exam; Transfiguration on Tuesday, Herbology on Wednesday, and Defense Against the Dark Arts on Thursday. This was the one exam that Harry and Alex both left feeling confident about their scores. Harry had even been asked to perform the Patronus Charm for an extra point, which although helped his score, most likely wasn't necessary. He didn't tell anyone, but was fairly certain he had gotten an Outstanding. Alex thought she had gotten an E at least, so she wasn't worried that she hadn't passed.

The next week was just as hectic. They had Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy, and Divination. Alex felt that she did all right on the first three, but Divination was never a strong subject for her, so a fail seemed rather imminent. She and Harry were on speaking terms again, and they walked back to the common room with Ron, discussing how they did.

"Well, I'm pretty sure mine was a resounding failure, what about you?" she asked.

"Same," Harry replied.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. He told them about how he accidentally described the ugly man with a wart on his nose, only to realize it was really his examiner's reflection.

"Well, at least now we can drop the stupid subject," Harry pointed out.

"Definitely. From now on, I don't care if my tea leaves spell 'die, Ron, die,' they're going in the trash where they belong." They all laughed at that, happy the class was done and over with.

During the Astronomy practical, something horrible happened. Alex hadn't taken notice until she felt a foot nudge her own. She glanced over, and saw Harry jerk his head towards the grounds, around where Hagrid's hut was. She was surprised to see Umbridge and a group of Aurors making their way towards it. They tried to arrest him, but their spells seemed to bounce off. McGonagall came running out of the castle, but before she could do anything, she got hit directly in the chest with four Stunning Spells.

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	38. Disasterous Exams

**I apologize, yet again, for the wait. My dad just got back from a two-week trip to China, so I spent a while with him, plus I had to clean my nightmare of a room. I also had writer's block on top of it all. :P Sorry about that. But I got it up now! :) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Or Hermione Granger. Or Ronald Weasley. Or-you get the point. **

* * *

Alex screamed as the four red spells collided with Professor McGonagall. She wasn't the only one, either; Pavarti, Lavender, and Hermione all let out shrieks as well, and Professor Tofty yelled out, "Galloping gargoyles!" If anyone in the group hadn't noticed what was going on, they did now. The entire class watched as Hagrid struck down all those trying to apprehend him. He ran off into the woods, holding the limp form of his dog, Fang, over his shoulder.

After an agonizing five minutes, the exam ended. Alex shoved her telescope away, threw her things into her bag, and rushed down the spiral staircase. The entire class was staying out in the halls, discussing what had happened. It had been horrible to watch. McGonagall wasn't exactly young, and four Stunning Spells would be bad for anyone. They could only hope that Madame Pomfrey would be able to set her right.

A similar discussion followed after arriving in the common room, but Alex didn't stick around for most of it. She was dead tired. Unlike most people, traumatic events only wore her out, instead of leaving her wide awake. Falling into a deep sleep, it took a lot of work for Hermione to wake her up the next morning.

Breakfast was followed by a large study session for the Gryffindor fifth years. Since their History of Magic exam wasn't until that afternoon, each one of them was going over books or notes in preparation. Alex was truly worried about this subject, because it was one that she hadn't studied much before coming to Hogwarts. She also found it difficult to pay any attention during class, so she used Hermione's notes to study.

At two o'clock, the exam started. Alex went through as best she could, but ended up skipping a lot of answers, and even the ones she did answer seemed either wrong or incomplete. Her head was heavy, even though she had slept well the night before. Without thinking about it, she shut her eyes, and was brought into another one of her dreams.

Once again, Alex found herself in the cathedral-sized room with self after shelf of spun-glass spheres. She hurried between the rows, a specific destination in mind. When she reached it, there was a dark shape on the floor. It seemed to be the indistinct outline of a man. Alex opened her mouth and spoke in a voice very unlike her own.

"Take it down for me. You can touch it, but I cannot. Get it, and you may be spared." The man simply shifted without replying. Raising her hand, Alex said, "Crucio."

The man screamed as he writhed in pain. A twitch of her wand, and it all stopped. The man groaned before meeting Alex's eyes.

"You'll have to kill me," Sirius whispered. Alex smiled.

"Oh, I will, but you will fetch it for me first. After all, we have hours, and no one can hear you scream..." A suddenly yell echoed through Alex's mind and her eyes flew open. She was still in the Great Hall, taking her OWL. One of the professors hurried down the rows of desks, as every head in the room turned to the person sitting behind her, who was...

"Harry!" Alex exclaimed, whirling around. Her brother was on the ground, clutching at his forehead. Professor Tofty brushed past her. He grabbed Harry by the arm and helped him out of the Great Hall, despite his protests. Alex tried to follow, but was held back by another one of the examiners.

"Come now, Miss Potter, he'll be fine. Come finish the examination," he said, in an attempt at a soothing voice. Alex whirled around to face him.

"He's my brother, and I'm going to go make sure he's okay!" No one else tried to stop her as she rushed out the doors, looking for her twin. She found him talking to Professor Tofty, and it sounded like he was insisting that he was okay.

All Alex caught as she walked up was an, "I'll do that," from Harry. Professor Tofty walked past her into the Great Hall, while she went up to her brother.

"You saw it too, right?" she asked urgently. He nodded.

"We should tell McGonagall." Together they rushed off to the hospital wing, only to almost make Madame Pomfrey drop the medicine she was giving Montague.

"What is it, Potter?" They looked at each other, not really sure which one of them she was addressing. Finally, Alex spoke up.

"We need to talk to Professor McGonagall." To their surprise and alarm, McGonagall had been transferred to St. Mungo's that morning. Instead, they ran back to the entrance hall, where the rest of the fifth year was only just exiting from the exam. It took a moment to pick Ron and Hermione out of the crowd, but as soon as they did, they found a empty classroom to talk in.

"What happened Harry? Are you ill?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Hermione," Harry said in a rush. "It's Sirius we should be worried about."

"_WHAT?!_" Ron and Hermione exclaimed in unison. Together the twins proceeded to explain what they had seen. Hermione was skeptical, but finally they managed to convince her to at least try and contact Sirius. With the help of Ginny and Luna, they made their plan. Harry ran off to the dormitories to get his Invisibility Cloak. The rest of them made their way to the corridor leading to Umbridge's office.

Harry came back quickly, the Cloak tucked underneath his robes. He looked around at everyone.

"All set?" After they all had nodded in consent, he and Hermione donned the Cloak, while Alex and Ron slipped away. Ginny and Luna went out to clear the corridor. Glancing at Hermione, who nodded, Harry started making his way down the hall towards Umbridge's locked door.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Gotcha!" Malfoy exclaimed triumphantly. Alex whirled around, surprised. She had been assigned the task of keeping watch, but somehow she ended up getting sneaked up on by the Inquisitorial Squad. Luckily, she had no reason to be in trouble.

"'Gotcha' what, Malfoy? It's not like I did anything wrong." With a quick glance around, she noted that Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, and Pansy all had their wands pointed straight at her. If it came to dueling she stood no chance.

"I beg to differ," the pale blonde retorted with a smirk. "You see, Weaslby here told Professor Umbridge a lie about Peeves' antics, so we figured he was up to something. Something that most likely included Granger, Potter, and yourself." Alex hadn't noticed a large Slytherin (she thought his name was Warrington) holding tightly onto Ron. Before she could do anything, Pansy had snatched her wand and Malfoy had a firm grip on her arm, wand still trained on her. "Come on, let's take them to Umbridge's office."

Unfortunately, he hadn't seen the fire in Alex's eyes. If he had, he might've been more cautious. Before he could take two steps, she jammed her heel down onto his foot as hard as she could. It distracted him enough that she could twist her arm out of his grasp. They other Slytherins were so taken aback that she managed to snatch her wand away from Pansy and run. Several spells shot past her, but none hit their mark. Instead, Alex cast a charm between herself and them, keeping anything from traveling through it. With a quick wink towards Ron, she then continued down the hallway at a sprint.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry did a quick look around, and immediately noticed Alex's absence. He glanced at Hermione, who looked as bewildered by this as he felt. Even Umbridge had a questioning look on her face. Malfoy stepped forward, embarrassed, holding Harry's wand.

"Alex got away." Everyone being held captive smiled at each other. Of course Alex was the one who escaped. Umbridge, however, looked displeased.

"She got away?" Malfoy nodded sheepishly. "It was how many? At least _six_ of you, against one, and she got away?" Malfoy kept his eyes trained on the ground. "Do we at least have members of the Inquisitorial Squad looking for her?" He nodded once more. Umbridge sighed. "Very well." Her attention then turned back to Harry.

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Ron was left staring at the door while Harry, Hermione, and Umbridge went off to who-knows-where. Hermione had made up some story about a secret weapon, but now what were they supposed to do? None of them had wands, and the Slytherins were much bigger than all of them. It wasn't like they could just suddenly do magic wandlessly. He was just about to give up hope of escaping and saving Sirius when the door flew open. A red spell shot through and hit his captor squarely in the head, knocking him out instantly. Looking through the now-open doorway, he saw a familiar redhead smirking back.

"Need a hand?" Alex asked. The members of the Inquisitorial Squad all instinctively drew their wands, but forgot they were supposed to be holding on to their captives. Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna all grabbed their own wands from the various pockets of the Slytherins. There were multiple flashes, shouts, and bangs, but within seconds it was over. Three of the captors lay unconscious, one frozen, one wandless, and Malfoy was covered in bat-bogeys. Ron smirked at him.

"Who did the Bat-Bogey Hex?" Alex asked curiously. Ginny smiled.

"That would be me."

"Nice," Ron commented. He leaned down and picked up Harry and Hermione's wands from where they had fallen. "So, any idea where Hermione lead Umbridge?" All eyes automatically turned to Alex.

"Actually, yeah. They went into the Forbidden Forest. I only watched long enough to see where they went in though, 'cause I figured you needed more help than they did."

"Well, let's go then!" Ginny said. Without another word they all took off running to where their friends had disappeared.

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**Sorry again for the wait, guys! It really was kinda unreasonable this time, but any of you who have had really bad writer's block know how it feels. Anyway, still feel free to get mad at me in a review or PM. I did try to make up for it with the longer chapter, though! Heh heh...**

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	39. The Prophecy

**Well, you guys definitely didn't have to wait as long on this one. :) Thanks for not getting mad at me for the fairly unreasonable wait. I know some authors only update once a week, but I really want to update more than that. So sorry, again, but I'll try to update more often. Unfortunately, I start school and soccer tomorrow, so that will be taking up a lot of my time. Anyway, here you go!**

**.rettoP yrraH nwo t'nod I :remialcsiD  
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**:D I love writing things sdrawkcab  
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"Harry, wait!" Hermione called yet again, trying to keep up with his fast pace.

"We don't have any time to waste, Hermione. Voldemort has had Sirius for far too long." She finally caught up with him, panting.

"How are we even going to get to London? Besides, we're not just going to leave the others trapped with Umbridge, are we?" Harry didn't want to admit it, but she had a good point. Before he could reply, though, a familiar voice cut him off.

"I think 'the others' can handle themselves okay." They both whirled around to see Alex and Ron coming through the trees, with Ginny, Neville, and Luna close behind. Harry broke into a grin.

"How'd you guys escape?" Everyone turned to Alex. She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Well, after I got away, I saw you two disappear into the forest. I went back to Umbridge's office, distracted the bozos holding onto them, and they grabbed their wands. As soon as we were all armed, it was over."

"Oh, speaking of wands," Ron said. He handed Harry and Hermione their wands. "So what happened to you?"

"We got Umbridge taken away by a bunch of centaurs," Harry said. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"And they just left you behind?"

"Well, Grawp chased them away before they could get us," Hermione replied.

"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked curiously. Ron, Alex, Hermione, and Harry exchanged smiles.

"Hagrid's little brother," Ron said promptly. "So, how _are _we getting to London?"

"First, only you, me, Alex, and Hermione are going-" The others, especially Ginny, glared at him. He sighed, exasperated. "I don't want any of you getting hurt, okay?"

Ginny still glared at him. "We're coming, whether you like it or not, okay? Just deal with it." Harry glanced at Ron, who shrugged.

"Fine. Any ideas on how to get there?" Luna smiled.

"We fly of course!" Everyone looked at her questioningly. She gestured to the trees where thestrals were just starting to pick their way over to the little group. Harry smiled, glad that things were finally going well.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The group rushed out of the lift, into the Department of Mysteries. Alex looked at her brother. She didn't want to admit it, but she was kind of scared. Voldemort wanted nothing more than to kill her and Harry. Being wherever he was wasn't exactly the smartest or the safest thing in the world. By the frightened look on Hermione's face, she was thinking the same thing, but they both covered it with their determination to save Sirius.

Stepping through the door in her dreams, Alex found that they were in a large, black, circular room. A series of identical doors were placed around it. There were candles on the walls that burned blue flame. When the door shut behind them, it too became an exact replica of the others. If they forgot which door was which, they would have no sense of direction.

As if following Alex's thoughts, the wall began rotating. She immediately grabbed Harry's arm, afraid the floor would start spinning as well. But the ground underneath them remained firm and unmoving, while the wall suddenly stopped moving. They had no idea where they had come in from, and therefore no way to get out. She glanced at her brother, unsure of what to do.

"In the dreams, I usually walked straight through here and into a room that sort of, well, glitters." Alex nodded. She had the same dreams, and that was how she would have described it as well. "I think we should just try the different doors until we find the right one." Everyone else agreed, having no better ideas.

The first room held a tank of brains. No one wanted to get near them, though, so they left immediately. After marking the door with an X, Luna allowed it to shut, as the room once again spun. Luckily, the X stayed, so they knew they had already checked that room. The next room held a stone archway with a fluttering veil. There were voices coming from it, but only Alex, Harry, Neville, and Luna could hear them.

They tried another room that was locked, but then they found it. The room was full of dancing, diamond-bright light, coming from a crystal bell jar. A bird inside it grew and shrank from egg to bird and back again. No one paid it much attention, though, and they kept going. Passing through another door, they found the room they were looking for. Alex noted that it was just like in her dreams; high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty, spun-glass orbs. The room was lit by the same blue-burning candles.

Remembering the direction in which the row they were looking for was located, Harry led them onwards. Everyone kept their wands out as they crept silently through the long alleys of shelves. Alex, and she was sure everyone else as well, was listening intently for any sign of life. Not even a moan escaped into the tension. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing. It could very well mean Sirius was already-

No, Alex wasn't going to think like that. Sirius was strong, he wasn't dead. They would find him in time. Upon reaching row 97, however, she, along with everyone else, was startled to find Sirius wasn't there. Harry was searching around frantically, but she stopped him, grabbing his shoulders, and turning him to face her.

"Harry, Sirius isn't here." Her brother shook his head frantically.

"No, he's here somewhere, I saw it. _You _saw it. We just need to find him." Hermione stepped forward timidly.

"She's right Harry, he isn't here. We should just-"

"Hey, Harry?" Ron called, cutting her off. They all turned towards him. "Have you seen this?" Harry hurried over.

"What?" In answer, Ron pointed to the label under one of the dusty spheres.

"It has your name on it." Craning his neck, as he wasn't as tall as Ron, Harry read the yellowed bit of parchment.

**S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D. **

**Dark Lord**

**and (?) Harry Potter**

Alex came up behind him and read it as well. Her jaw dropped. She turned to her twin, perplexed.

"What is your name doing here?"

"I don't know..." he said, distracted. He reached out to pick up the ball.

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," Hermione said suddenly.

"Why not? It has my name on it."

"Just don't Harry," Neville said, surprising everyone. Harry ignored him and reaching out, closed his fingers on the surface of the ball. He was surprised to find it warm, not cold like it should have been. He lifted it down from the shelf, brushing off some of the dust. Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.

"Very good, Potter. Now, just give me the orb and no one gets hurt," it drawled. Alex was the only one who recognized it right away, having heard it almost every day for 14 years.

"Lucius." Everyone turned to see black shapes emerging all around them, blocking any way of escape. They all had their wands out, and Alex could see if it came to a fight, there was no way they would win. Malfoy smirked, much like his son.

"Very good, Alex. I was surprised to hear from Draco that you had made it into Hogwarts." She glared at him. He just turned back to Harry. "To me, Potter."

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked defiantly. They group of Death Eaters laughed, a woman's ringing out over the others.

"Give me the prophecy, Potter!"

"Where. Is. Sirius?" Harry asked again. The Death Eaters started closing in slowly, now only feet away. "You've got him. I know it." The woman laughed again. She started mocking him in a horrible fake baby voice. He ignored her, muttering to the others to not do anything, yet.

"I'll say it one more time before we start using our wands, Potter. Give me the prophecy." Harry narrowed his eyes.

"No." As if by a silent order, all seven of them raised their wands, ready to fight. But none of the Death Eaters struck.

"Hand it over and no one gets hurt." Harry laughed.

"Yeah, like I'm just going to hand this over? What, and you'll just let us skip on home?" The female Death Eater had finally had enough.

"Grab the smallest. Let's see if torturing her will change his mind." Instinctively, they all closed a circle around Ginny, blocking them from getting her. Malfoy smiled. Harry realized this was what the woman had wanted them to do. But it was too late to correct their mistake. Two of the Death Eaters reached forward and grabbed Alex, pulling her away from the group. Another took her wand, while she tried to get away, but they were full grown men. She stood no chance. Harry glared at the blonde man in front of him.

"Let. Her. Go," he said, deathly serious. Malfoy smirked.

"Not until you give me the prophecy." Harry looked back at Alex, who was shaking her head frantically. Before he could say anything, the female flicked her wand in Alex's direction.

"Crucio." Immediatley, Alex screamed in pain. The woman stopped, but kept her wand pointed at her heart. She took off her mask, revealing herself as Bellatrix Lestrange.

"The prophecy, Potter," Malfoy said. Harry glanced again at his sister. Bellatrix seemed more than ready to hurt her again, but she still didn't waver. The look on her face clearly told him not to do it. He looked back at Lucius.

"No." Again, as if on cue, his voice along with five others shouted, "_REDUCTO!_" Harry only hoped they wouldn't accidentally hit Alex, but she seemed to have seen it coming, unlike the Death Eaters, so while they were simply surprised she yanked her arms out of their grasp and ran. Harry gestured for everyone else to follow. They got through the door and back into the room with the dancing light, when Harry realized something.

"Where are Ron, Ginny, and Luna?"

"They must have gone the wrong way," Alex said. She seemed a little shaky from the Cruciatus Curse. Harry looked at her concernedly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, a little too quickly. "Although, a wand would be helpful. I'm assuming none of you have any extras?" They all shook their heads. She sighed. "Super."

Suddenly, three Death Eaters managed to force their way through the door Hermione had sealed. The four of them dove under the desks just in time to avoid being seen. Of course, the Death Eaters started searching the room. Just as one poked his head under Harry's desk, Harry Stunned him, jumping out. The others followed his lead. The following fight was hard, but short lived. Just as Harry was about to Stun another Death Eater, the one Neville was fighting turned his wand to Alex. She was distracted with trying to force open the door. He shot some unknown spell at her and she collapsed, motionless.

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**Wow, I am not pleased with that chapter. Sorry about that, I'm really distracted, what with thinking about school and such. I'll try to make the next one better. Thanks for reading!**

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	40. Into the Veil

**I am sooooooo sorry! It has been way too long since I last updated, I know, but writer's block is really hard to work through when you also have school work and soccer on top of it. Seriously, you have my complete permission to murder me, but I warn you it might make it hard for me to update. On a serious note, this was an unreasonable wait, and I'll try not to let it happen again. Especially with the cliffhanger I left. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

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Harry stared, horrified, as his twin sister fell to the floor. Before the Death Eater had time to react, he Stunned him and ran to her. Harry noticed, relieved, that she was still breathing, but unconscious. He turned towards Hermione, who was fighting off another cloaked figure in an attempt to get to them. Luckily, Neville managed to make his way over.

"Is she okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Harry said worriedly. "I didn't recognize the spell he used. Did you?" Neville shook his head. Harry once again glanced at Hermione, just in time to see her get hit by some purple flame. It passed right through her, and she collapsed with a startled "oh!" "Hermione!" Harry yelled. Both he and Neville tried to get to her, but the man, who Harry recognized now as Dolohov, kicked him in the face, snapping his wand.

Before Dolohov could react, Harry quickly shouted the first spell that came to mind. "_Petrificus Totalus!" _The man fell, rigid as a board, while Harry scrambled to find a pulse in his friend's arm. Luckily, it was there, but faintly. He looked to Neville. "Neville, can you get Hermione and Alex out of here? Raise an alarm?" Neville's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"And leave you do fighd alone? No, I'm coming wid you." Harry sighed.

"What about Alex and Hermione?" With a glance at them, Neville shrugged.

"We'll have to leave dem, undil we can ged help," he said reasonably. Looking at his sister one more time, Harry nodded. He handed Neville Hermione's wand.

"Let's go."

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Alex groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Her vision was hazy, but she could still see. She sat up, looking for Harry and the others. There was no one there other than a frozen Death Eater. She failed to notice the unconscious Hermione half-hidden under a table. Alex scrambled to her feet. Unfortunately, she moved to fast and the entire room tipped. Grabbing the wall, Alex steadied herself before putting a hand to her temple, which was throbbing. What happened? She remembered trying to open the door, but after that she was drawing a blank.

Almost in a daze, Alex stumbled out of the office-like room she was in. Echoing from one of the other rooms were a lot of shouts and bangs. She ran as fast as she could, considering her current state. The sight that greeted her was rather surprising. Harry and Neville were there fighting, but now they had been joined by Sirius, Lupin, and a few other adults she didn't recognize. Harry was n the stairs leading down to the stone archway they had seen earlier.

Glancing up, Harry saw Alex standing in the doorway to the room, frozen. He wanted to call out to her, but she was wandless and he didn't want any attention being drawn to her. Instead he made his way up the stairs over to where she stood, dodging spells the entire way.

"Alex, are you alright?" She nodded, but he noticed her eyes were slightly glazed over.

"What happened?" Alex asked in a dazed voice. Before he could answer, though, a spell was shot just over their heads, so Harry ducked, pulling his sister down with him, and ran to some cover.

"Stay here," he ordered, before running back into the battle.

"Harry!" she yelled after him. He ignored her, instead once again casting _Petrificus Totalus _on Dolohov, who had been released from his earlier spell. Alex, who had been watching, ran down and took the man's wand. Harry narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't say anything, for just then he had to block a Stunning spell. Alex hadn't noticed another red jet coming at her, but luckily Sirius did, because he pulled her down and out of the way.

"Alex, you and Harry need to grab the others and get out of here," he said tensely, keeping an eye on the Death Eaters.

"What, and just leave you? No-"

"I am your godfather, listen to me. Now go!" Before she could react, he had jumped into combat with Bellatrix. Alex watched for a moment before looking up to where Harry and Neville were with Lupin. They seemed to be trying to stop Neville's legs from jerking uncontrollably in what almost looked like a dance. Then she saw Neville point above them all, and following his gaze, she saw _Dumbledore!_

Relieved, Alex turned back to Sirius, to make sure he knew the headmaster was there. Instead, she saw him get hit in the chest with a jet of light. He fell, almost in slow motion. Alex heard a scream, and mildly recognized it as her own. Sirius fell all the way through the veil, but didn't reappear on the other side. She ran, trying to reach him. There had to be a way to pull him out of it, he wasn't gone, he wasn't-

Just as she was about to touch the fluttering piece of fabric, strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her away from it. Alex didn't know who it was, and she didn't care. Her godfather was in trouble, and she had to save him. If they just let her pull him out, she only had to reach inside and grab him. Kicking and screaming, she clawed at the arms holding her, but they wouldn't relent.

A gruff voice said in her ear, "He's gone, there's nothing you can do."

"NO!" Alex cried, tears now pouring down her face. "I can get him, just let me-" Before she could finish, Alex saw Harry screaming Sirius's name. Lupin was holding him back, keeping him from reaching Sirius just as this stranger was doing to her. Alex looked carefully at Lupin's face. He looked sorrowful, but determined to keep Harry back. Lupin, who had been Sirius's childhood friend. Lupin, who would do anything for his friends, who he considered his family. There was only one thing that could mean: Sirius was really dead.

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**Again, I'm really really sorry for the wait. It was mostly the, er, let's say _encouragement_ of my friend who could go by "Moonstrike" that got me to update. So if you want to thank anyone, thank her in the review and I'll make sure she gets it. I'll try to update every two weeks, but that's about the most often you can expect it. I'm really sorry about that, but my life is hectic what with homework and soccer. Please try to understand. **

**Also, sorry to anyone who thought I was going to let Sirius live. Unfortunately, to me it held a lot of deep emotional meaning, and I think part of it drove what happened in Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. I wouldn't be able to write it the way I want to if Sirius didn't die.  
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	41. Possessed

**Quick thing before I start the chapter: Anyone who pays any attention to the description now that they've started reading, they'll notice I took down the Alex/Dean warning. That's because this story focuses more on Harry and Alex as siblings. I do plan to make a sequel, and in that I'll hopefully have more Alex/Dean. Anyway, just mentioning to anyone who was hoping for more of that. Now, on the the story!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, Harry Potter isn't mine.  
**

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Coming to the realization that her godfather was gone, Alex sank to the floor, still gently supported by the arms of an unknown person. When she was sitting, the arms carefully released her, and she heard their footsteps as they went back into the battle. She just sat, trying to process everything that had happened. Harry had the prophecy. Voldemort wanted the prophecy. Ginny, Luna, Hermione, and Ron were missing. Sirius was dead. And Harry... Where was Harry?

Glancing around, Alex caught the figure of her brother just as he was dashing out the doorway, no doubt following someone. Without a second thought, she went after him, not wanting to get separated yet again. Running out into the hallway, Alex saw Harry disappearing into the lift. She was a second too late. He went up without his sister, leaving her to frantically push the button to call another lift. Nervous energy coursed through her, leaving her shifting her weight from foot to foot, restless. After what felt like eternity, another lift clattered down. And she jumped in, immediately heading for the Atrium.

When the grilles finally slid open, Alex leaped out, wand at the ready. Despite her obvious readiness to fight, nothing would have prepared the girl for the sight that greeted her. Harry was standing in the center of the large hall, wandless. Following the direction his closed eyes seemed to be pointed in, Alex choked on the air as the saw her worst nightmare. The pale skin, red eyes. Once again, she faced her parents' murderer.

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Letting his eyes close, Harry let himself wonder what death would feel like. He had no wand, and the man in front of him wanted him gone. There was no way out, no last minute escape. He had reached the end of his time. But as sure as he was of this, when he heard the lift yet again, he allowed himself to hope that help had come.

Unfortunately, he only felt his heart sink when Alex was the one who came out, wand pointed around. She was beautiful, kind, the best sister he could have hoped for. Even with the tarnish of their past, _her _past, this miracle girl had been her own sunshine, keeping up a positive outlook for herself and others. He was truly honored to have had her in his life.

Just as Harry thought this, Voldemort decided to end it all. His mouth opened, his wand raised. Alex's scream rang in his ears.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_ But rather than dying, Harry saw a golden statue, one of a wizard, jump out of the fountain next to him and block the green jet. It glanced of his chest. Whirling around, Harry saw Dumbledore himself standing in front of the golden gates. Relief flowed off him in waves. With his hero there, they must be safe. Quickly, though, this thought shrank away.

The duel that followed was short-lived, but intense. It was obvious that both combatant were strong wizards, and evenly matched. Alex had come over to Harry, where he was still defended by the golden statue. She was trying to mend his wounds, though minor, despite his protests. She seemed to be determined not to watch the battle taking place right in front of them. But it managed to gain her attention when Voldemort suddenly vanished.

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Once Voldemort left, Alex left her denial of the fact that both she and Harry could be minutes away from death. Instead, she turned around to look at the headmaster of Hogwarts, who for the first time, looked scared. He was watching the place where the Dark Lord had disappeared, but suddenly turned to look at her. No, Alex realized, not at her, but Harry. She too turned her gaze to her twin.

Just as she did, Alex felt her forehead explode. Collapsing on the floor, she could hear herself cry out in agony. The pain then dulled, as quickly as it had come on. She forced her eyes open, looked over to see Harry also laying on the ground. But, his eyes, they were- A choked sob escaped her as she saw that they were the same as Voldemort's. He-he was possessed. Harry's mouth opened, and he spoke in a voice unlike any she had ever heard. It was a horrible, grating combination of her brother's and Voldemort's.

"_Kill me now, Dumbledore. If death is nothing, kill the boy." _Alex looked at Dumbledore, pleading. He wouldn't, would he?

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When Harry came around, he felt himself laying face down on the cold Atrium floor. His glasses were nowhere to be seen. Pushing himself up on his elbow, he was surprised by a pair of arms throwing themselves around him.

"_Harry!_" Alex cried, burying her face in his shoulder. "Wh-when he possessed you, I though you were going to die. D-don't _ever _do that again!"

"No promises," he managed to mutter, half choked by her constricting grip. This only caused her to sob harder. Slowly, Harry raised himself into a sitting position. "Seriously, though, Alex, I'm fine," he said, trying to comfort her. He returned her hug, rubbing his sister's back. Suddenly, they were both surprised by a flash of a camera. Releasing Alex, Harry turned to see a mixed group of Aurors and reporters standing in front of them.

"Merlin's beard!" the person at the head cried out. Harry realized it was Fudge himself. "He's back!" _Well, at least one good thing came from this, _Harry thought wryly. He stood, lifting a still-shaking Alex with him, as Dumbledore addressed the group. When the man finished, he came back over to them.

"Harry, Alex, you both did very well tonight. I'm going to send you both back to the castle. Miss Potter, take this back to the castle and head to the hospital wing. Have Madame Pomfrey give you something for shock." With that, Dumbledore tapped a broken piece of a statue with his wand, causing it to glow blue. Alex grabbed it, and after looked at Harry, disappeared. Then Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Harry, I'm going to want a word with you when I get back to the castle. Take this to my office." He repeated the process he had with Alex, and before Harry knew it, everything was gone in a swirl of color and light.

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**Wow, that did NOT turn out the way I wanted it to. Oh well. I needed to update, and it's not, like, _super _horrible, I guess. I dunno, I'll let you decide that. Sorry about those few little paragraphs that were, well, I have no better word than depressing. I was listening to a REALLY sad song when I wrote those. I didn't mean to let it influence my writing, but that just goes to show, right? **

**On a different note, I want to say that I plan to rename this story. I'm totally lost on ideas, though, so please give me some? When I get enough good ones, I'll either pick myself or make a poll and let you guys decide. Please, help! My creative thinking process is failing.  
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**Again, thanks for your patience. This school year has been one of my hardest so far, and we're only a month or so into it. Updating is really hard, but I have a couple days off, that's why I was able to update today. Anyway, I really appreciate it, you guys, really.  
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**No guest reviews this time around...  
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**Reviews? I would really appreciate it...  
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	42. Goodbyes

**Gah, stupid school! Updating is so hard, especially since it feels like either my brother or dad is on the computer when I want to write. :P But on another note, we have reached the end. More on that at the bottom of the page. **

**y 67dsfmy scaergzdh aaergad- Me slamming my face into the keyboard. I can't write fluff! I'm really sorry for the horrible quality of this chapter, but I had no other way of writing it than fluffy. Also, Harry's pretty OOC. He's not a very emotional person, is he? That's gonna happen a lot in the next story, too. Sorry.  
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**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.  
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Alex sat on the bed in the hospital wing, not laying down like she probably should have been. Although she had managed to avoid sustaining any serious injuries, Alex was dazed, both by the spell she had been hit with and the shock. She continuously had to go through a list in her head, keeping facts straight.

_My name is Alex Potter. I'm 15 years old. __I'm a witch. _I have a twin brother named Harry. My parents are dead. My godfather Sirius is... 

She still couldn't bring herself to think it. It seemed so sudden, like lightning from a blue sky. Alex had only just met him, why did he have to be gone?

Just then, Harry walked in. Alex jumped up, fighting off a wave of dizziness.

"Harry!" He looked up at her, a brooding look in his eyes. Harry shook his head a bit, like a dog trying to rid his ears of water, then walked over to her.

Wrapping his arms around her, he asked, "Are you alright?" She nodded, but when Harry pulled back, he could see the tears pooling in her eyes.

"Sirius," Alex breathed, almost too quiet for him to hear. He didn't reply, but reached around her and gave her another hug, letting her cry into his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Alex. It's going to be okay," Harry said, a little awkwardly. They stayed like that until Madame Pomfrey came and made them both get some rest.

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By the time everyone had recovered from their little, er, _escapade, _they had reached the end of the school year. It was almost time to leave, so Harry, Alex, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting in the Gryffindor common room, waiting to head out to the train. No one was really talking, everyone still lost in thought about what happened at the Ministry. Well, everyone except Alex. She was thinking about something completely different.

As if on cue, Dean walked down from the boy's dormitories. Knowing a lot of eyes were on her, Alex got up and walked over to him. He smiled, but stopped when he saw the sad expression on her face.

"Is everything okay, Alex?" he asked, concerned.

In a voice that sounded a little distracted, she replied, "Yeah, sorta. Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure," he said, a little taken aback. Still being watched, they made their way out the portrait hole, and started wandering the corridors. There was no one around, except for a few teachers and the occasional student. After a few minutes, Dean broke the comfortable silence. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, there is." He noted that she was refusing to meet his eyes. Another couple of moments went by with only the sound of their footsteps. Suddenly, Alex stopped.

"Alex?" Dean questioned.

"I-I can't do this right now."

Thinking he knew what was coming, he asked "Do... _what?_"

"This," Alex said, gesturing to him.

"So, you're breaking up with me?" She nodded.

"It's not you, I promise. But, well, with all that's happened this year, I really don't think a relationship is the best thing for me right now." She was talking quickly, trying to get her explanation out, when Dean cut her off.

"It's okay, Alex. I get it, you just found you're twin brother, that's got to be more than a little overwhelming." _And then some, _she thought bitterly. She pushed it to the back of her mind, though, and put on a grateful smile.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. Maybe, we can try again some time?" Alex said, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Of course." Dean couldn't help putting a slightly sad tone to his voice. Together, they turned around and walked back to Gryffindor Tower, silent save for the echoing of their feet on the cold stone floor.

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After returning to her seat in the common room, there were more than a few pairs of eyes on Alex. She tried her hardest to ignore all of them, except of the ones belonging to her friends.

"Well?" Hermione inquired, expectancy in her voice.

"I broke up with him," Alex said bluntly, not bothering to keep her voice down.

"Why?" Ron asked incredulously.

Sighing, she replied, "After finding Harry, and losing Sirius, I just needed to take some extra weight off my shoulders." She glanced at said brother. He was just sitting, looking like was at a loss for words. "Seriously, guys, it's not a big deal. Let's talk about something else." Harry looked glad to escape the conversation.

"I was just thinking, Alex, what were you planning to do for summer vacation?" he asked. "You could come back to the Dursleys' with me, although I doubt they would like that. You probably wouldn't like it much, either." Alex smiled, looking up at Ginny, who had just walked over.

"Actually, Ginny thought of that a little sooner than you did."

"_And?_" Harry prompted, although he already knew.

"I've been invited to stay with the Weasleys this summer." He grinned.

"That's great!"

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa._ Why didn't you tell me about this?" Ron asked.

"Because," Ginny retorted, "you are an ignorant git."

"Well," Ron said indignantly, but didn't go on. They spent the rest of the time until they boarded the train laughing and talking, like the group of good friends they were.

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The train ride home was one of the best Harry felt he had ever had. Minus the fact that Sirius was gone, of course. He not only had Ron and Hermione, but Alex as well. Ginny, Neville, and Luna also sat with them. The first part was filled with them laughing over things that had happened during the year. Then Malfoy, being the jerk he was, tried to take advantage of the lack of teachers. Unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong place, and attempted to attack Harry right outside of a compartment full of DA members. Let's just say he, Crabbe, and Goyle ended up looking more like giant slugs than anything else.

The rest of the ride was passed playing Exploding Snap. Alex, surprisingly, won most of the games.

"How do you keep doing that?" Ron asked, after having lost to her for the third time.

Shrugging, she replied, "Must be beginner's luck."

Thinking no one else could hear him, Ron muttered, "More like cheating." Of course, he didn't say it quietly enough, so the entire compartment burst into laughter.

Once they had reached King's Cross, everyone exited, except for Alex and Harry. They both sat, looking at each other. Finally, Alex moved first, going over and sitting next to her brother. He looked at her, and smiled.

"Good first year?"

"Yeah, it was great." Harry sighed then, looking out at the platform, where parents were hugging their kids, welcoming them back home for the summer.

"Look, I'm really sorry." Alex gave him a confused look.

"For what?"

"I guess, dragging you into this. Every year, something happens. It's usually something to do with Voldemort, and him trying to kill me. Ron and Hermione almost always end up in danger with me, and now you are too. I wish you could have a safer family."

"Harry, it's not your fault. I don't blame you. At _all_. Besides, this has easily been the best year of my life. Well, with the exception of our first year with our parents, but I can't exactly remember that. I'm so glad I met you, and I couldn't be happier that I did." With a smile, they both stood up and walked out onto the platform. Surprisingly, there was a large group of reporters from the Daily Prophet.

"There they are! The Potter twins!" The pandemonium that followed was bad, but brief. Alex and Harry were mobbed by reporters, but a loud voice cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter.

"Back off! Give the kids some room!" Everyone froze. Stumping through the crowd was none other than Mad-Eye Moody. He gave the twins his equivalent of a smile. "Ready?" They both nodded, a little nervously. He went back the way he came, with Alex and Harry following him. Together, they met up with the Weasleys. "Here they are, Molly."

Mrs. Weasley immediately wrapped Harry in her customary hug. When she let go of him, she took a moment to consider Alex. They she smiled, and threw her arms around her.

"Oh, Alex dear, I'm so glad to see you."

"Um, nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley," Alex said uncomfortable. Harry smiled at her from over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder.

_Does she always do this? _Alex mouthed.

_Pretty much, _he mouthed back.

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When they finally got everything sorted out, the Weasleys turned to go a separate way from the Dursleys and Harry. They started walking away, but Alex turned around to look at Harry, only to find that he was turned back to her. She glanced at the red-headed family, who was waiting for her. Without thinking, she ran over to Harry, giving him one last hug.

"Come to the Weasleys' as soon as possible, okay?" she asked.

"I always do," he replied, a smile in his voice.

"I'm no good at goodbyes," Alex said, almost to herself.

"Then let's not say goodbye." They then were silent, making the hug last as long as possible. When they released each other, she gave him one last little wave, before following the Weasleys out of the station, leaving Harry staring after her. When he got back to the Dursleys, Uncle Vernon was giving him an odd look.

"Who was that, you're girlfriend?" Harry looked at him, grinning.

"Nope, my twin sister." With that, he walked out of King's Cross, leaving the Dursleys staring at him incredulously.

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**That's it! I can't believe it's over! Thank you, so much, to everyone who's stuck with me through this entire thing. What with it being my first story ever, the response I got to it was so amazing. I really appreciate everyone reading this. My writing was (and still is) horrible, so I'm glad you guys still thought it was worth your time. Anyway, thanks again. **

**In case anyone was unsure, there WILL be a sequel. It'll probably be a few months until I start it though, because I really need a break from writing. Like, a long break. I promise, the new story will be started before 2013. It will be called "End of a Legacy", title courtesy of blazeice9967, so thank you. I might put up somewhat of a preview chapter within the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for it, or follow me so you'll get an email when it comes out.  
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**If anyone reading this is a beta reader interested in beta-ing for me, please look at the message at the top of my profile. Let me know if you're interested.  
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**I guess that's it. Now I have to post this chapter, and mark the story as complete. For the last time on this story:  
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**Review!  
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**~The Whomping Pillow (Alexis)  
**


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